Four Dog Day

Final Post for Four Dog Day

2011-05-24T22:42:00.005-05:00

Hello to all Kathy's Blog Friends...

In honor of our mom, this is the final post for Four Dog Day.

In October 2010, Kathy began to notice something strange happening. She described it as though her "auto-pilot" was not working the way it once did. She found herself having to think hard about whether to take a left turn instead of a right, or where to put her fingers on the computer keyboard, These changes lead her to get an MRI, which identified a malignant lemon-sized tumor growing in the Parietal Lobe of her brain. Kathy went on to have 2 surgeries. Her first Surgery was performed in November and as much of the tumor as possible was removed. Kathy went to in patient rehabilitation to help her work through the deficiencies she experienced after her surgery, including significant vision loss in her left eye. After coming home, she continued with in home physical and occupational therapy. It was always her goal to get back online. She wanted to share her story in the hopes that she could help just one person.

In early December, Kathy experienced, "The Fall That Saved Her Life." Kathy slipped in the bathroom and bumped her head. A precautionary MRI was done and it found that Kathy was not recovering the way all had hoped, due to a life-threatening surgical complication and tumor re-growth. One of the ventricles in Kathy's brain was not draining fluid properly, leaving her in a near fatal state. Two more surgical procedures were performed which temporarily saved her life. Kathy had her second surgery in hopes of permanently fixing the ventricle and removing the majority of tumor re-growth. She again went into an in-patient rehabilitation facility to help her regain her strength and then came home to continue rehabilitation and to begin treatment.

Kathy went through radiation and 2 rounds of chemotherapy. But on April 14th, we found out that her cancer had spread to the point where no other medical interventions would help her. Kathy came home that day, still with positive hopes. We all moved into our parents house. We stayed with her 24 hours a day. On April 23rd, surrounded by our dad and the 3 of us, she passed away. Her 6 month battle was over.

In our life we have never met anyone more positive, more hopeful. Our mom was a ray of light. Always optimistic. Her blog was one way she shared her amazing personality with all of you. While our mom was never able to tell her cancer story herself as she wanted to, she was able to share herself over the past 2 years with you on her blog. That is one of the many beautiful legacies she has left behind - for us and for all of you.

Please support cancer research so that no one has to go through what Kathy and our family went through. A organization that helped our family significantly at the onset of our mom's diagnosis was the American Brain Tumor Association - www.abta.org.

Thank you,
Tresa, Michael & Matt (Kathy's Children)

Four Weeks Old Today!

2010-10-22T20:36:00.008-05:00

I spent the day in the city with Tresa and Graham. I get to go back again tomorrow when Irv and I go for a visit....and then on Monday I get to help Tresa take him for his hearing test. How lucky can one Mimi be?

Big yawn....

Happy after his bath...but then he's almost always happy....

Snuggling in his towel...

Getting sleepy...

Looking for That Happy Medium....

2010-10-18T20:07:00.003-05:00

To blog or not to blog....that is the question. I enjoy my blog....but at times, I tend to like it too much and it consumes more time than I am willing or able to give it. I've been trying to post less, but then I tend to also read less. When I read less, I miss out on what is going on with all of you, and that sucks. Then when I do blog and you comment, I want reply to your comments and that is time consuming. When I read blogs, I want to comment...and that is time consuming.

I work a full time job and commute 40 or more minutes each way. I have things to make and things to sell and customers to communicate with.

Sometimes I think I should just say bye bye to blog land all together and the thought of doing that makes me really sad. I have so many wonderful friends on here.

I turned off my e-mail notifications the other day and today when I signed into my blog..there were all of your comments and I wanted to reply to each of them. I have to turn that thing back on.

I honestly don't know what to do. I thought about writing one day a week and reading one day a week.....I guess that might work, but I'm a bit more spontaneous than that.

Any suggestions?

Workshhop Update

2010-10-17T19:49:00.004-05:00

Well I woke up this morning to find that the darling hobby horse I showed you yesterday was already sold! He will be on his way to New York this week! The first magazine rack has been primed and will be painted blue very soon. I couldn't find the shade Angela had suggested, but I got a neat looking blue. I also bought yellow for the other one. I think they are going to look awesome. We are also going to start painting some of our chalkboard frames in bright fun colors. We did a red one and got it listed today. We just have to find the right kind of vintage frames for the bright colored ones. I like this one a lot. We found 2 of these and did one red and the other silver.

I should be able to show you what we did with that old window soon too. We have been so busy trying to get things done and are finally making some progress.

Right now I need to finish up a couple of things and chill out for a while. I can't believe the weekend is gone and it's back to work tomorrow. Where did the weekend go? Have a great week and I'll chat with you soon.

2010-10-16T21:03:00.010-05:00

Irv and I went treasure hunting today.....We found this awesome bent rebar star.....

This rusty tractor seat....

an old bocce ball set...

A very rusty old nursery scale....not sure what I am going to do with it yet....

another wonderful magazine rack that will get painted soon...

an awesome old wood box...

a fantastic handcrafted wood hobby horse....

and a pair of old wooden stilts....

The hobby horse is available in our etsy shop, Four Dog Vintage and the rest will be available soon. We are headed to the flea market tomorrow in search of more treasures. This is sooooo addicting! Hope all is well. chat with you soon!

Help Please

2010-10-16T14:25:00.003-05:00

I found this fabulous magazine rack/plant stand/telephone stand at a sale today and I want to paint it. Angela from Pickles on Pizza loves bright fun colors for her accent pieces. I agree. Remember my little chest I painted bright yellow for my living room? I need some suggestions for what color to paint this. I'm thinking lime green, bright blue or even yellow....what do you think?

A Day With Graham

2010-10-14T20:41:00.011-05:00

I took the day off today and went into the city to visit Tresa and Graham. We had a really nice day.

Tummy time....

a little nap.....
A trip to Target and Petsmart.....

Time for a clean outfit....

More snoozing.....

A big yawn....

Mommy and Graham....

Mimi and Graham....

Ever Been On space Mountain?

2010-10-13T20:28:00.003-05:00

I hated Space Mountain at Disney World. I hate rides so that really is no surprise. I really think that is the most terrified I have ever been. I thought for sure it was going to fly off the rails and I was going to die. I knew I would never go on that ride again, so I figured I would never be that terrified again and I have never been....until Sunday.

Irv and I walked around a lot during the marathon..just trying to get from point A to Point B. A couple of times Point A and Point B were way too far apart so we took a cab. One of the rides took us through city streets lined with cars....with quite a few bicycle riders. I'm thinking that cabbies don't like bicycle riders because this guy could NOT have come any closer to the bikers without running them over! I just kept thinking, "Please do not kill a biker with me in the cab!" He would come up right behind them doing about 40 miles an hour and then swerve around them. It was horrible. I just kept closing my eyes.

I thought that was the worst it could possibly get until later that day when we had to take another cab. This time we had the "pleasure" of flying down Lake Shore Drive.....a very, very winding, busy, crazy road.....doing 70 miles an hour (in a 40 mph zone mind you. It was lovely outside so the cabbie had all of the windows open. I was in the back seat and had to hold down my hair because it was whipping me in the face as we cruised down LSD. I'm looking at Irv and he doesn't seem the least bit bothered. I honestly felt like I was back on Space Mountain. I thought for sure we were going to either go flying off the road into the lake or just roll and smash into oncoming traffic and be killed. It was beyond terrifying.

When we were sitting around later chatting....I brought up the cab ride. Everyone just laughed. They thought it was great! Are you freaking kidding me? Great?

If I ever have to choose between walking a very, very, very long way or ride in a Chicago cab.....where are my gym shoes? I'm walking!

Chicago Marathon 2010

2010-10-12T19:43:00.009-05:00

All I can say is WHAT AN AWESOME WEEKEND!!!!! I'm going to have to break it down into parts. This will be part One.

Matt and Rebecca arrived from Colorado at around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday. Michael picked them up at the airport and they stayed that night at Michael and Bern's house. I didn't get to see them until Saturday afternoon when we all got together at Tresa and Chris's condo in Chicago for a nice pasta dinner. We had to get Matti ready for his loooonnnngggg run the next day. It was so good to see them and to have our family together. We all took turns holding the baby and chatting, but we made it an early evening because Tresa is still a bit sleep deprived and Matt needed to get his rest. A friend of Matt's from Colorado that was also running the marathon came by to say hi. It was great to see him.

On Sundays the trains from where we live that go into the city don't run very often, so in order to get to the marathon by start time, we had to get up at 3:00 a.m. and catch the 4:53 a.m. train. Man was that early! We got to the city and immediately started texting with Matt and Rebecca to see if we would be able to find them before the race. We didn't. They actually were exactly across from us at the starting area, but this is what it looked like.

First of all you couldn't get around the fence and second of all, that sea of hats that you see, are all of the runners. So we were on this side of the runners and Matti and Rebecca were on the other side. Matt was in with the runners and Rebecca was outside the fence on that side. It was nuts and oh so exciting. It was so hard knowing that Matt was so close, but oh so far away. I wanted so badly to give him one more kiss and hug and one more good luck, but there was no way.

It was so emotional waiting for the race to start and then watching them all start walking...slowly....waiting for the runners up front to move far enough forward so the whole group could start moving. It took Matt 20 minutes to actually reach the starting line from where he was!

As soon as the runners were off and running we managed to locate Rebecca. Thank goodness for cell phones and texting! The three of us went to grab some coffee and breakfast to go and started walking to the half way point of the race in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Matt in the sea of runners.

Irv and I actually did a LOT of walking. It wasn't a simple task to get around the throngs of people and all of the closed roads. We walked and we took cabs, and eventually we got to the 13 mile mark and stood and waited with Rebecca. We watched runners go zooming by and other runners trotted by. There were lots of signs and cow bells and yelling and cheering. There were runners in tutus and super hero garb and runners in regular running clothes. It was a sight to see. We got dizzy watching the bobbing heads of thousands of runners while we watched for Matt. Then Rebecca saw him and he saw her and waved. Irv and I didn't see him and he quickly scoured the crowd once he saw Rebecca, but he didn't see us either. She said he looked strong and really good.

We made our way to the finish area. We met at our prearranged spot and it was just so cool. Matt had done a fantastic job.

Remember when I told you he had hurt his knee when he ran the Imogene Mountain Run...well both of his knees started bothering long before the marathon...but he ran anyway and did it in 4 hours 8 minutes and 25 seconds!

To put it in perspective.....there were a total of 35,763 runners and Matt came in 9955th! Out of 19769 male runners, Matt came in 7173rd. Out of the 3001 male runners in his 25-29 age group, Matt came in 1153rd. The winner of the race was a 23 year old Kenyan who ran it in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 24 seconds! It just blows my mind.

We had just the best day. Michael and Bern came down and we met up with them after the race at a bar where we could all sit, have something to eat and watch the Bears game. We caught the 4:30 train and got home around 6:00. It was a long day, but a fantastic day. I am so proud of Matt and of all of the runners. They just amaze me with their strength and their dedication to a sport they love.

I will be back later this week with some after the marathon pictures, some Graham updates, a little bit about my terrifying Chicago Cab ride and about all the work we are doing on our vintage etsy shop. I hope all is well with you. I will chat with you real soon.

Catch Up Time

2010-10-06T20:16:00.007-05:00

Well, let's see....Graham will be two weeks old on Friday. He is doing well. He hasn't quite figured out when to sleep and when to eat, but he will when he's ready. His mommy hopes that is soon.

Matt will be home Friday late night. His girlfriend, Rebecca will be with him. We are really looking forward to their visit. We haven't seen them since Christmas.

A friend of mine will be in southern Illinois tomorrow and asked me for a list of Vintage things I am looking for. She said if she sees anything, she will text me a picture to see if I want it. How sweet is that?

Irv is busy working on that old window so we can turn it into something really cool for our shop. I also found a place online that sells the chalkboard vinyl in a big roll. Now I don't have to buy it on e-bay. It came today. Yippee! Now I can make more chalkboards!

I put my SNOW letters in Four Dog Day already. I know it is only October, but they were done and it's cold and snowing somewhere, so why not? I like them.

I fell off the healthy eating and workout wagon for a little while, but I jumped right back on this week. I even walked at lunch today. Chee Hoo for moi!

I need new clothes really really bad. My fall/winter clothes were looking pretty crappy last year so when I pulled them out this year and took a look, I knew they had to GO! So, I logged into Ann Taylor Loft the other night and had some fun. Of course I ordered some cute little sweaters and today it was almost 80 outside....but I've lived here long enough to know that winter is just around the corner.

I went to the GAP on my way home from work the other day to get some khaki pants for this fall and they had 3 pairs of womens khakis. Are you kidding me? It's fall and it is the GAP! How could they NOT have KHAKI pants??? That's what they are known for!! The girl said they aren't sure what happened and that they had lots of black pants. Black pants? I want khaki!! So I bought the pair right off the mannequin!

I took Friday off. We have a really busy weekend planned. We are spending the day at Tresa and Chris's in the city on Saturday and then Sunday is the Chicago Marathon. We will be down there cheering on Matt. His knee is pretty bad right now, so he isn't sure what's going to happen, but he is going to give it one heck of a try. He has trained so hard for this. I hope he can run. I miss being a spectator. It will be fun yelling, "Run Matti run!" :)

I also got my hair cut yesterday....really short. I'm sure I'll have some pictures of it next time.

Well, I really have some work to get done so I have to close for now. I will be back after this wild and wonderful weekend with lots of pictures and stories to share. Have a great rest of the week. Chat with you soon.

Oh, I went for my mammogram today......I hope you are keeping up with yours.

Happy Weekend!

2010-10-02T19:52:00.006-05:00

We had a great day today. We met Michael and Bern for breakfast and then headed over to the flea market. This isn't my favorite flea market...it's just too expensive. I prefer the one with all the "junk". We did have fun though...the only bad part was that the temp only got up to 55 today and with the wind it felt like winter! We froze our butts off even though we were dressed warmly.

I found 3 awesome things. The two frames will probably become chalkboards and the window......that will be a surprise.They will all be available in our etsy shop, Four Dog Vintage soon! Irv is already working on the window.

I hope you had a great day today. Tomorrow we are heading out early to go visit Tresa, Chris and little Graham. I will take lots of pictures.

Have a good one and I'll chat with you soon!

Let Me Introduce Myself.....

2010-10-01T21:34:00.004-05:00

Hi, I'm Kathy...nice to meet you. :)

I am still here. I am still reading blogs, but just not getting to comment on as many as I did before. Irv and I are working very hard to get more of the chalkboards done, and I am working on more letters for Four Dog Day and I am searching for treasures for Four Dog Vintage. In fact we are headed to a flea market tomorrow with Michael and Bernadette.

So get this...tonight I was scrolling down the blogs I read over on the sidebar of my blog when lo and behold, there was a picture of one of my aprons. Well it seems that Green Girl in Wisconsin is having a giveaway and it is for something from Four Dog Day! Isn't that cool? She decided to feature an etsy shop each month this year and I am it right now. I am so flattered and so excited.

If you have never read Green Girl's blog....you are missing out. She is a fantastic writer that tells the greatest stories. Check out her blog here. There is info about the giveaway here.

So, if you want to read a great blog and win something from my shop....stop on over and visit the Green Girl in Wisconsin. Thanks Green Girl!

Sunday we will be visiting Tresa, Chris and baby Graham! I can't wait to see him again. Then on Friday night, Matt and Rebecca will be flying in from Colorado and on that Sunday 10/10/10....Matt will be running in his first marathon. We will be there to cheer him on....so yep, I am busy, busy, busy....but life is oh so good.

Have a splendid weekend and I'll chat with you soon.

My Newest Project

2010-09-28T19:34:00.005-05:00

Can you believe it? No new Graham pictures! That's because I won't see him until the weekend. They are doing well and adjusting to all that is new.

I finally got one of my new chalkboards listed in my etsy shop, Four Dog Vintage. This is a vintage picture frame turned into a chalkboard. I just love this. The hardest part of making these will be finding really unique and awesome frames to use. I have a few more done that I will be listing over the next few days, and then I will be searching high and low for frames. Irv is helping with these and we are hoping they do well. We shall see.

We are counting down the days until Matt gets here to run the Chicago Marathon. He is a bit concerned because he took a bad fall during his Imogene Pass Run and hurt his knee. It is still giving him a hard time when he runs and there isn't much "healing" time left before the marathon. I am keeping my fingers crossed for him. It would be a shame to go through all of that training and not be able to compete.

Depending on the weather, we might go to a big flea market this weekend with Michael and Bernadette. I am hoping we can go and hoping I find lots of awesome stuff!

Well, I have things I need to finish before bed. I hope things are going well for you. I hope to get around to visit all of your wonderful blogs this week. I have so much to catch up on. Have a great evening!

Our Little Man Came Home

2010-09-27T18:06:00.016-05:00

Graham and Tresa came home yesterday.

They are both doing well and the period of adjustment for everyone is going nicely. We went yesterday to help them get settled in and then left so they could enjoy their first time in their home as a "family". I am so happy for them all. Such an exciting time for them....and for us.

Today Graham had a blood test to check his bilirubin level. It's fine...so no more concern about that. He has a hematoma on his little head, but it will go away in a few months. It was a tough delivery for mommy and him.

He seems to be a very calm and happy little guy. He got to meet Harley and Casey. The cats were curious. It was cute.

He got a little check up today and everything was good. He's already gaining weight.

We won't see him now until next weekend......that seems so far away.

Who Needs Sleep Anyway?

2010-09-26T05:40:00.006-05:00

Just a quick hello....it is actually about 5:30 a.m. I went to bed at about 7:00 last night again and I guess I've had enough sleep. The dog woke me up at 3:00 a.m. to go out and I've been up since.

We went to the hospital to visit Graham and Tresa Saturday. Today we will be meeting them at their condo to help Tresa get up three flights of stairs and to get settled in with the baby. They are all doing well and adjusting.

I was still so tired yesterday from missing a night of sleep, but I'm thinking today will be better. We have shopping and laundry and cleaning to catch up on so it will be a busy day.

Well, I am thinking I should make a list for the grocery store. We aren't sure what time Tresa and Graham will be discharged, but we will need to be ready to go when she calls. Have a great day today and slowly but surely I will getting back to my normal schedule and I will be able to catch up with everyone. Chat with you soon.

YEP!!!!!

2010-09-24T16:37:00.011-05:00

Happy Birthday Graham Patrick Stone. I will fill you in on the details over the weekend, but he is here. Tresa had one very rough night, but she is doing well and so is our future linebacker. He had a bit of a problem arriving due to his size....9 pounds 2 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long. He is a gorgeous little guy...of course. I'll have more pictures over the weekend. Here are some quick ones we took today.

Nope Part 2

2010-09-22T05:41:00.003-05:00

My lack of posting isn't because baby boy arrived...it's because I am busy making and listing things for my etsy shops FourDogDay and FourDogVintage. I remembered a little while ago my goal and my vision for the future, and it means I have to work on my shops.

Baby boy is taking his time, although the very wise and educated doctors have been saying "soon" for quite some time. Baby boy has a different definition of soon! :)

Tresa is doing well...as well as a very, very expectant mom can be doing. She is still working, but yesterday decided to work from home. Depending on how last night went and whether she got any sleep, she may be doing the same today.

So we are still anxiously awaiting the little man's arrival....looking forward to introducing ourselves, touching those soft little cheeks and smelling that beautiful baby smell.

Announcement will be coming soon. Hope all is well with you!

Nope

2010-09-19T15:23:00.003-05:00

If you are looking for a baby announcement...nope...he isn't here yet. This is sooooo difficult for me. I can't imagine how difficult it is for Tresa. We are trying to wait patiently, but each day it gets a little tougher. Right now she is just walking as much as she can and trying to stay busy with other things. I am working and working and working....at my full time job and in my workshop. We are making some new things for the shop in Chicago and I'm working on letters for Four Dog Day. there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I want to be doing right now. I decided that I really need to make a list and prioritize it. yesterday i ran around all day busy working on so many things.....and at the end of the day I realized I didn't complete a single project. It was not a good feeling.

Right now I am off to a resale shop in search of treasures. I will be back one of these days with baby news.

:)

Waiting....

2010-09-14T20:18:00.003-05:00

I am so not good at this "waiting for the baby to get here" thing we are doing right now. Not only that....I am a planner. I always have a plan. I like to plan things. When we go on vacation I plan for months. I plan my days. I plan my weekends. I plan how I am going to plan things.

Baby boy's arrival is something I can't plan and it's making me crazy! I need to know. I need to know what day and what time. Will he decide to arrive while I am at work or when I am at home? Will I be on may way to work or on my way home from work? Will it be during the night when I am sleeping or in the morning when I just wake up?

Will it be a weekday or a weekend? Will we have enough time to get to the hospital? Will I remember to bring the things I planned to bring?

Oh my word.....I can hardly stand it. :)

Tresa did go to the doctor today and she said that she is about as ready as she can get. She doesn't expect her to make it until the 23rd, but what do they really know? I saw my doctor in the afternoon one time. She told me nothing was happening and she would see me next week and I had the baby that night. Fooled her!

So many people have asked Tresa how big the doctor thinks the baby is. Well, none of the doctors have mentioned that, so today she asked. The doctor felt around on her belly and said it isn't scientific, but she would guess that he is about 8 pounds. 8 POUNDS??? Tresa told me she is mortified. She never expected baby boy to be that big. Must be all those Blizzards from DQ! HAHA! The doctor said that's a wonderful size.

So, we are waiting and I am trying to be patient. I told Tresa that baby boy paid rent through the 23rd so she can't evict him just yet....besides he's been a wonderful tenant.

Counting Down

2010-09-12T17:20:00.008-05:00

We are counting the days until baby boy's arrival. Not too long to go. His due date is the23rd. His mommy if very ready. She's tired. Sorry the pictures are blurry, but I was trying to take them while she was watching the Bears game and I didn't do the best job....but you get the idea. She is very ready to go.

The baby told us that he needed some ice cream, so we ran right out and got some for him. :)

She looks just darling and shame on the two people that said "Whoa" when they saw her yesterday! What were they thinking? You don't say "Whoa" to a pregnant woman!

Enjoy your week. Hopefully we will have baby pictures very soon!

Congratulations Matt and Rebecca

2010-09-11T19:15:00.002-05:00

Well Imogene is over for this year. Matt and Rebecca did an awesome job conquering the mountain. Rebecca ran almost the same time as she did last year. I don't know her place yet. Matt just missed his 3 hour goal, but he beat last year's time by 20 minutes. He came in 62 place. 1500 runners registered, but we don't know yet how many actually ran. Matt ran it this year in 3:02:45.

I just cannot understand how anyone could even do that. To run up a mountain and gain about 5000 feet in elevation is beyond anything I can comprehend. Yet the race filled up so fast this year with runners from all over. I admire each and every one of them for their commitment and dedication to the sport.

When you go to the website, it already has a clock ticking down the minutes until the 2011 race. I'll bet there aren't too many runners this evening that care how many days, hours or minutes until next year's race!

Matt took one fall and has some holes in his hands and one knee, but he's fine. He said you wouldn't believe how many people cross the finish line bloody. Brutal.

Well, now he can take a very short break and then continue his training. He'll be running in his first marathon on October 10 in Chicago. I am so excited that we will be there to cheer him on...if we can find him among the zillion runners!

Congats Matt and Rebecca. I'm so proud of you!

Good Luck Matt and Rebecca

2010-09-10T18:47:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! No baby news yet....but I don't think it will be too long now. I just wanted to take a moment to wish my son, Matt and his girlfriend, Rebecca the best of luck tomorrow as they run in the unbelievable Imogene Pass Run. Click here to read about it. 1200 runners will start off in one town....run up the mountain...and come down the other side! I can't believe people really do this. Matt and Rebecca ran it last year and they are going back for more!

Good luck you guys. I wish you both much success. I love you! Kick some A....

Hopefully I will be back some time in the next few days to share baby news with you! Hope all is going well.

So How Are Things?

2010-09-05T18:43:00.007-05:00

I know...I am so MIA right now. I just have so much going on that by the time I sit down and would have a minute to blog....I'm too tired. So tonight I turned off the lights in the workshop early, grabbed my lap top and headed to bed. I have a number of things to tell you so I think I will have to do it over a few days. No, the baby isn't here yet, but it sure is getting close. He is due the 23rd. Tresa is just exhausted this weekend. Everything she does leaves her just drained. They went to the zoo today and all she could managed was an hour. Well, the good thing is that we know he will make his debut eventually...hopefully soon.

Next, I have to thank Angela of Pickles on Pizza...she has been so kind and so helpful with sharing her knowledge of vintage with us. I don't know what I would do without her. Irv and I are learning a lot thanks to her and her highly successful shop. We found a couple more things yesterday when we were out treasure hunting. We are learning what to spend our money on and what not to spend our money on. We still only have one little sale, but we are slowly getting the hang of it. We made lots of mistakes at first and I'm sure we will make many more, but it's all starting to make a bit more sense, so thanks Angela.

Do you sell or shop on e-bay? We don't....but we will be. I don't want this post to be too long, so I will tell you about the Shell Gasoline sign another day. It's a fun story with what will hopefully be a very profitable ending. I'll fill you in soon.

I have fallen off the exercise wagon again, and it's all because I am so addicted to Four Dog Vintage right now. It's all I can think about. I am actually working out a schedule to get myself back on track. I was doing really well and I don't want that to change. I have to figure out a way to balance working out, making healthy meals, walking and etsy around my full time job. I can do it. I just need to think it out. What do you do when you have more things to do in a day than there are hours in that day and it isn't just one day....it's every day? Any suggestions?

We finally have over 50 items in our vintage shop. I put in a lot of hours today to get some of our new things in. Here is the listing for that darling little antique toaster......

and I am so in love with this bowl!

My goal is to get too 100 items....we will get there some time this fall.

Michael and Bernadette have been working many, many twelve hour days since the start of school. Sometimes people don't realize how hard teachers really do work and the hours they put in. Thank goodness there are people willing to do that. I appreciate each and every one of you!

Matt is still training for the Chicago Marathon on October 10. He ran 18 miles yesterday morning! Bless his heart. I can't run one mile!

So....that's about it from here. I hope you are all well. I will try to check in with you during the week. Make it a safe and wonderful holiday tomorrow!

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me The News......

2010-09-01T19:42:00.003-05:00

My appointment was for 4:00 this afternoon. I finally saw the doctor at 5:00! He stuck his head in the door and peeked in before entering and asked if I was still okay. He said he always likes to check first when he is running so behind. It made me laugh. If it was any other doctor I would have been so pissed, but I really like this guy. This was my second visit with my new holistic MD. We were going to go over my lab work.

We sat and talked, and talked, and talked. He listened so carefully to everything I had to say. We talked about my health, my concerns, my new vintage shop, my hyper personality and much more. He never rushed me. He let me ask a hundred questions....and that is why I don't care if he is an hour late. I know I will have his undivided attention for as long as I need it when it is finally my turn.

It was another great visit with this amazing doctor. We discussed my supplements, my diet, what I'm doing, what I'm not doing and so much more. I have some things I need to change where my diet is concerned. I need to get off the gluten again and cut out the dairy. I need to eat more veggies....strange since I'm a vegetarian isn't it? He's right though.

My heart panel was excellent and that was good to hear. We spent a lot of time discussing my blood pressure. I've been off the meds for a few months, but my pressure isn't where it needs to be yet. We talked about things I can do to bring it down more.

I left there feeling so good about not just my health, but about everything. Can't remember ever leaving any of my former doctors and feeling that way. Thanks Doc!

I'm Here, I Really Am

2010-08-30T18:45:00.016-05:00

Once again I find myself with way too much going on. I'm trying to prioritize, but first I need to organize. My clocks are starting to sell at the consignment shop, we opened Four Dog Vintage and are trying to add more items every week, I'm trying to keep Four Dog Day happy and our little grandson is due in a few weeks! The sign I have on my bulletin board at work says SLOW DOWN AND BREATHE....and it applies to home as well as at work!

Irv and I went to a big flea market on Sunday. We found some wonderful new things for Four Dog Vintage, but right now it is all over my house in varying stages of being cleaned, repaired and prepared for sale. I think there are things in every room of my tiny little house right now! I think we did a good job. Here is what we found....and it will hopefully all be listed this coming weekend.

The flea market started at 6:00 a.m. and we were there!

It was interesting to see how everyone displayed their wares.

I was a little disturbed by the amount of food items people were selling.....it made me wonder where they got it....and people were buying it like crazy. Ewwwwww...no thanks!

Some people just put their stuff on tarps right on the ground! It didn't make it very easy to look at what they had to sell to be honest with you.

Here are the things we bought.....this amazing antique toaster in excellent condition. Isn't it just the cutest thing ever?

A very old and rusty lunch box. Not sure why, but I have a thing about rusty metal!

This fabulous PINK clock that I am so in love with!

This wood sewing kit. It is actually full of old thread and needles. It's great!

So how 50's is this funky yellow tea set? Can you believe this? Just so cool!

This old mail box that Irv will be working on. It's a little bent and it makes it hard to open and close.

This darling little suit case....also in need of a tiny bit of repair, but I'm not worried....Irv is great at that kind of stuff! Right honey?

I also have a thing for shiny metal and I love these. I need a new one, so I just might keep it!

Who can resist an avocado colored bowl? Not me obviously!

Now we have to get it all ready and into Four Dog Vintage! Hope you have a great week. I'll be popping in to read some blogs later this evening if I don't fall asleep first!

Another Fun Day

2010-08-28T21:03:00.009-05:00

It's 9:15 p.m. and I am getting ready for bed. We are getting up at 4:00 a.m. to be at a big flea market when it opens at 6:00. Why in heaven's name would they open at 6:00 a.m.? That is a rotten thing to do to people on a Sunday.....but we will be there!

Today Tresa and I met at Starbucks for a drink and some oatmeal. Then we headed over to Buy Buy Baby and to Babies R Us. I've never seen so many women in so many stages of pregnancy in one place before. It was pretty funny.

There were a number of things she needed, including an outfit to bring little boy home from the hospital in. Take a look at this......

and how about these?

We also went to some fabric stores. I am going to make some wall hangings for baby boy. They will be fabric covered wood boxes...like I use for my clocks. I will make two 12 inch by 24 inch ones in this awesome animal print, and then two 12 inch square ones...one in the dark blue and one in brown. We will hang them in a rectangle shape. I think it's going to be really cute and I'll show them to you when I get them done.

Then we also bought fabric so I can make two nursing covers. Have you ever seen or heard of those? They rank right up there with all of the other expensive things that we never had when we were having children that everyone thinks they need now. Tresa wanted a couple, so of course mommy is going to make them for her. Here are the two fabrics she picked. Aren't they great? I'm actually anxious to start on them when we get home tomorrow.

I have been so busy looking for treasures for Four Dog Vintage and then cleaning and photographing them and listing them in our shop that I really don't have time for much else. Once I get enough things listed I will be able to slow down just a bit. We are having a lot of fun and learning so much about vintage stuff.

Irv was having fun too until I told him we have to get up at 4:00 tomorrow.

Hope all is well with you. Have a great day tomorrow and do something really nice for yourself and for someone else!

About Face

2010-08-25T20:26:00.004-05:00

Have you ever been so sure of the direction you were headed...only to suddenly take a turn and go an entirely different way....even when you were soooooo sure?

That is where I am right now.....I made the turn and now I am sure again....only the destination is different.

A while back I decided to stop creating and selling many of the things I had been selling in Four Dog Day. I let things expire, packed them up and put them away. I had some new ideas I planned to try.

Then something happened. Irv and I decided to open Four Dog Vintage. That is where the "about face" came in. Every spare moment I have right now I am spending on listing items for Four Dog Vintage. Poor Four Dog Day was already looking so sad and now it was just plain pathetic.

So.......here is what has happened. We are really excited about Four Dog Vintage. We are really starting to like the look and feel of the shop as little by little we are finding pieces to offer. In fact, this weekend we are headed to a huge flea market in the hopes of finding some awesome treasures for the shop.

What happened to the time I was going to have for Four Dog Day? Uh.....gone.

That's when I decided to haul out the boxes of things I wasn't going to sell any more. I have been relisting like crazy and Four Dog Day is once again looking like the shop it once was. I have a long way to go with quite a few things to list, plus some things that need to be rephotographed and then relisted, but you know what....I'm having a ball doing it.

I think I felt bad having things sitting here that should be in my shop. It just didn't feel right. It's funny too because I listed some of my coasters yesterday and immediately sold a set. They'll be headed to New York tomorrow.

Now things feel just right. Four Dog Day is looking pretty and Four Dog Vintage is growing little by little. Irv and I are having fun stopping at sales and researching items on line and in our super duper garage sale and flea market book.

Have you ever been heading one direction and thought it was right and then did a big turn and felt that was right too? What happened?

I still don't have much time for blogging, but I'll be back now and then to say hello. Make it the best day ever tomorrow, and do something really nice for yourself AND for someone else!

Getting Ready for Baby Boy

2010-08-22T17:02:00.010-05:00

We all met at Tresa and Chris's today so Irv and Michael could help hang some closet doors and Bern and I could help organize baby clothes.

Then Tresa did an inventory of what she had in what sizes so when we go shopping next weekend she can buy the rest of what she needs for the little guy.

Isn't this the cutest little bassinet? They have parts that turn it into a crib for later on too. Right now it's filled with blankets.

How many people does it take to figure out how to work a car seat? A lot!

Harley hiding in the empty car seat box.

Tresa making funny faces during our photo shoot! We are counting down the days. She is due September 23....but I'm thinking she is going to be a couple of weeks early. Just my feeling......we shall see.

New Treasures

2010-08-21T13:49:00.010-05:00

I'm working today in my shop, but I wanted to show you what we found this morning when we were out and about. We will be in the city tomorrow and I will take lots of pictures of baby things...we are counting down the days until our little guy's arrival.

Wonderful old grass shears

Darling little rose covered tins

Very old electric grill...looks perfect for grilled cheese!

Charming Avon Butter Dish

Old Thermos....I remember these well!

and a very old nutcracker....a style I've never seen before. :)

Everything will be in Four Dog Vintage later today! Chat with you soon!

My New Vintage Life

2010-08-19T20:00:00.007-05:00

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I am having with my new vintage shop, Four Dog Vintage. I've only sold one little glass, but every day I am adding new things and hopefully the sales will follow.

Talk about having a lot to learn.....I am reading and reading and reading. It is a lot of work. It's more than just buying some old things and throwing them in your shop. You have to take good pictures, give good descriptions and make sure that you are not overpricing your items or even worse UNDER pricing them. That is one of the hardest things for me. Here are a few of things I did list this week.

I have a couple of things sitting here that I can't list, because I can't price them. One is an old wood working plane. I can't find another one anywhere exactly like it. Some of the planes I see for sale are pretty cheap and others are pretty expensive. I will keep looking until I know that I am pricing it right.

The other thing is an old glass washboard. There are lots of them for sale...some really cheap and some not so cheap. I can only find one like mine for sale anywhere and it pretty expensive. That leads me to believe that this one isn't as common as others and is probably worth more.

Then there is the very old china. I listed a cup and saucer in my shop and really wasn't sure about the price. I couldn't find the pattern anywhere. It seems to be older than everything I see on line by that company. So, I'm waiting to list any more of it until I have a better idea on what it is worth. Here it is. It's so pretty.

See, it's a lot of work....but it's fun work....and now I have to get back to it. I hope you are all well. I will be seeing Tresa on Sunday. I'll take pictures. We are down to about 35 days until baby boy's due date. I am so excited!

Is it Just Me....

2010-08-18T20:55:00.002-05:00

or are a lot of people not blogging as often as they use to? During the winter it seemed as though everyone I followed had a new post every day.

This summer I've noticed a lot of people missing lots of days of posting...just like me. I just don't have the time. If I want to keep my etsy shops going, I have to work in the evening...and that is what I am doing.

Are you blogging as much as you were, or have you slowed down a bit? If you have slowed down is it because you have more to do in the summer or you are just tired of blogging?

Just curious.....

Give Me A B....

2010-08-16T16:58:00.003-05:00

Give me an R......

Leave me a comment and tell me what let you think it is!

At first I thought it was a B....and then after closer look, I thought it was an R. It's a gorgeous vintage embroidered hankie that I want to list in Four Dog Vintage.

What do you think? B or R?

Whew! What A Day!

2010-08-14T19:45:00.007-05:00

Well, Four Dog Vintage is now open and I am so excited. I started photographing and listing things this morning and spent the entire day on it. I did get eight things listed and worked in FourDogDay for a little while too. Tomorrow will be more of the same. Here are a few of my favorites. You can click on the pictures for details.

I decided to relist a lot of things in FourDogDay too. I had let a lot of things expire when I was trying to decide which direction I wanted to go with the shop. Now that we've opened a second shop, I decided to relist my pillows, coasters, pins and even some of my picture frames. I feel really good about it so I know it's the right decision. I will be making new things, but just not at the pace I was able to before. My time will be divided between the two shops. So....we shall see how it goes.

I also had this awesome flower girl basket sitting in my workshop. Long story....but I made two of them for a relative's wedding and they ended up only needing one. I really wasn't sure what to do with it, so I listed it in FourDogDay today. I think it's so pretty. I'm hoping someone will be able to use it.

Baby update.....the doctor said that if Tresa went into labor now they wouldn't stop it. I am getting more nervous by the day. We are down to 38 days! We are going there next weekend to work on the baby's room. I can't wait!

So, what have you been up to the past few days? Anything interesting? What's on your agenda for tomorrow? For me it's early morning grocery shopping and then back to the workshop! Have a super day tomorrow and I'll chat with you soon!

So Sorry

2010-08-11T17:29:00.005-05:00

I am afraid I am going to be neglecting you for a little while. Irv and I are opening a Vintage shop on etsy. We are busy cleaning our treaures and then I will start photographing them so we can get them listed.

We decided on Four Dog Vintage for our shop name, and I really do love it. I wasn't sure I wanted to keep the Four Dog, but it really is how people know me so it would have been silly not to use it. I made a cheapie banner through etsy, but it's starting to grow on me. You can see it here. I'm trying to get all of my info in the shop so we can just start listing items when we have enough of them ready.

I will give you a little sneak peak at the first thing I am going to list. It is this set of vintage dresser handles. I loved them when I saw them. They cleaned up nicely and they will be item #1 I think. :)

So my evenings now are all about getting the shop ready. I am popping in and reading some blogs in the evening so I'm still here. Now it's time to have some dinner and iron some cute little hankies and embroidered cocktail napkins. I think I am going to love this!

We Have a Winner or Two or Three!

2010-08-10T05:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks for the fun comments on yesterdays old photo! It's really fun to look back and remember things you did when you were a kid....and I was a kid when that photo was taken....probably all of 18 years old.

As I am writing this Monday evening......

of the people that commented about what one of their first jobs were, we had another telephone operator, an almost telephone operator turned key punch operator, a bank teller, a library worker, a cafe worker and a vacuum cleaner salesman! How fun is that?

For those of you who tried to guess which one of those charming young ladies was yours truly......second one on the right....the one sort of and sort of not looking at the camera. :)

Do you enjoy looking at old photos?

Operator.....

2010-08-09T05:00:00.002-05:00

I told you a while back how I worked for the phone company after high school. I was an Operator. Yes, the kind that use to connect your long distance calls. I worked at a switchboard and plugged the little plug in when a light popped up and said, "Operator". The person would tell me the number they wanted to call and I would mark it on a card and then take another plug and stick it into an outgoing hole and punch in the number and away went the call. The cords stayed plugged in until the lights on the console turned red and signaled that the call was done. Oh my...those were the days.

I got promoted to a Junior Supervisor where I would help train new Operators and then I transferred out to work in the Business Office where people would call to order phone service. I quit when I was pregnant with Tresa so I was there for about five years.

A friend of mine that I worked with at the phone company posted the following picture for me on Facebook. Can you find me?

I love our clothes. Even sitting at a switchboard in an office where no one ever saw you...you dressed for business!

Carol reminded me how we had to get permission to get up to go to the bathroom and there was no talking allowed. I do remember that the hours for people with little seniority were awful. I especially hated the A/E shift....that was afternoon/evening...in other words...your entire day was shot. I loved days, but most of the time those hours went to the "older" ladies that had been there for a while.

Oh the memories.....what was your first job out of high school or college?

Baby Shower #2

2010-08-07T17:12:00.020-05:00

Baby Shower #2 is now officially in the books. It was a lovely day at the Bed and Breakfast. I have some photos to share....

Because we have such a tiny house, we usually have our showers at a restaurant. This time I decided to do something different. I chose a Bed and Breakfast with a Luncheon Tea.

The house was built in 1886 and I just love the look of it. It has so much character and is definitely something I could live in. I couldn't run a Bed and Breakfast since I hate to cook and I really don't like waiting on people....but the house....I'll take it!

Sherry, the owner of the B & B does such a wonderful job. Sherry made the wonderful scones and I made the little place cards.

We had one table with eight people and one with seven. They were separated by a few feet so it still had a nice "together" feel to the seating arrangement. The menu consisted of finger sandwiches that all took into consideration Tresa's gluten free diet...there was chicken salad with craisins on rice crackers that everyone loved, turkey and swiss cheese on little ranch flavored rice cakes and sun dried tomato pesto and goat cheese on cucumber slices along with the scones with raspberry preserves and whipped cream.....then we had dessert.....strawberries, grapes, cheesecake, peanut butter cookies, mini lemon cupcakes and mini carrot cake cup cakes....with hot peach tea or iced raspberry tea. It was excellent!

She has two young girls that work with her when she does showers. They were so cute and did such a nice job!

Everything in the house is so wonderful. It's just filled with antiques. There was so much to look at!

I just love this! She has a corner set up like an old barber shop! Maybe it housed a barber shop at one time.

All of the wood in the house is just gorgeous. I loved the carving of the fireplace.

We finally got a SEES candy shop in our area. I had heard how good it was so Irv and I stopped yesterday and picked up some treats. These were lollipops that are suppose to be fabulous. I haven't had one yet, but everyone took some home with them. Chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch and cafe latte....Mmmmmmm! I put them in little sundae glasses and tied on a little ribbon...blue with white polka dots!

These are the little plants I did for everyone to take home with them. It was just a couple little flowers and lots of baby's breath I added. I tied a bow around them and then added a little blue felt elephant that I made. I thought they turned out pretty cute and everyone seemed to like them.

Here are a few pictures we took of the guests. There are a few pictures that didn't turn out real well, so this isn't everyone....but most. I will do my best to tell you who they are from left to right....Debbie (Irv's sister), Marianna (Irv's nephew's wife), Tresa, Judy (Irv's sister), Arshia (Irv's nephew's wife) and Bernadette (my daughter-in-law).

Tresa with her friends, Liz, Jenny and Sabrina.

Kathy (Tresa's mother in law), Tresa, Kelly (Tresa's sister in law) and yours truly.

My girls....Bernadette and Tresa...

It was a lovely shower and she received so many great things for our little man. Now the showers are over and the countdown begins. We are going to their condo in a couple of weeks to set up the room and the following to go shopping for things for the walls and anything else our little man might need.

I am tired, but happy and now it is time to get back to my workshop! I have things to make, things to list and a new shop to get open. Life is oh so good...isn't it?

This, That and the Other

2010-08-06T19:52:00.003-05:00

Just a very quick hello. I am all ready for the shower except to pick up some balloons in the morning, some baby's breath to add to the flower pots and finding something to wear. I thought I was going to wear an old dress I had, but when I put it on I didn't like it at all. Hopefully I can find something in the morning.

Irv and I had fun at the garage sale this morning too. They didn't have as much vintage stuff as I had hoped for, but we did pick up some neat stuff. I will show you soon. I spent some time this evening trying to come up with a cute name for our new vintage shop, but it is not an easy task at all. Many are taken on etsy or the .com isn't available. Got any ideas? I am accepting suggestions.

Today is my son Michael and his wife Bernadette's fifth wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary to you guys! I love you!

Can you tell me how you can vacuum up TONS of dog hair, sweep up TONS of dog hair, mop up TONS of dog hair, clean TONS of dog hair out of the lint trap on the dryer and the darn dog still has TONS of hair left?? Maggie is our first really hairy dog and let me tell you she will be our last really hairy dog! I got up to go to the bathroom last night and I thought there was a small dead animal in the hallway....it was just a huge blob of hair!

Well that is it for now. I am going to get a good night's sleep, get up early and get ready for a fun baby shower. I will take lots of pictures for you. Have a wonderful weekend and do something really nice for yourself...and for someone else.

Baby Shower #1

2010-08-04T18:37:00.016-05:00

Baby Shower #1 was hosted by Tresa's mother-in-law, Kathy and her sister-in-law, Kelly. It was a wonderful shower. There were about 25 guests and we all enjoyed a wonderful meal, great conversation and had fun watching Tresa open her gifts. Let me just say that baby boy is going to be one well dressed little man!

Tables were set outside on the patio next to the pool. I love their backyard and should have taken some photos. It is so beautiful and peaceful.

There were lots of little critters hanging here and there.

Kathy is an amazing cook and Kelly makes unbelievable desserts and candy. We had a fantastic salad, quiche, lox and bagels, chicken salad and corn muffins....and then dessert on top of that!

Here are me, my daughter-in-law Bernadette, Tresa, Kelly (who is expecting around Christmas) and Kathy.

Chris and his dad had been out playing golf and came home at the end of the shower. We got Chris to join us for a few pictures.

It was just such a great day. It makes me even more anxious for the little guy to make his appearance. I can't wait to meet him. We have another shower on Saturday....this is the one I am hosting. It is an afternoon tea at a bed and breakfast. I'll share pictures next week.

Have a wonderful evening everyone and I will chat with you soon.

Getting Ready for Baby

2010-08-03T20:05:00.009-05:00

On Saturday we headed into the city. Our plan was to pull out the carpet in the baby's room. The rest of the condo has wood floors and Tresa and Chris had pulled up a corner of the carpet in the room and there was wood under it. So we were going to have a "pulling out the carpet" party.

As it turned out, there was also underlayment stapled into the nice wood floor, so they decided to go with plan B and get new carpeting. They also decided to let the carpet guys tear out the old stuff. So we ended up eating a lot, chatting a lot and watching Irv put in a new kitchen sink and faucet.

I couldn't stop laughing when I saw Harley laying down to get a drink of water! He's such a funny guy.

Michael enjoying a morning cup of coffee while we make our plans for the day.

Tresa and Bernadette checking out lunch options.

Michael entertaining Harley...although I really think Harley was entertaining Michael.

Harley entertaining himself....I do believe that might be a new garbage disposal he has his head in.

Our little boy is growing really fast these days. Every time I see her I am amazed at the change.

We take a picture like this every time we are together and share it with Matthew out in Colorado, and the rest of our out of state family.

Sunday was baby shower #1 hosted by Chris's mom and sister. It was wonderful and I will try to post pictures some time this week. Our shower is Saturday so I'm trying to finish up some last minute details.

What is on your agenda for the rest of the summer? Anything exciting?

The Jogger

2010-07-31T19:00:00.001-05:00

On my drive home from work the other day, I saw a female jogger on the sidewalk. She had on some running shorts and a t-shirt...she was listening to her ipod as she ran. I have tremendous respect for anyone that can get out there and jog. I am not much of a runner. I can walk fast on my treadmill, but running....not so good.

As I came up behind her, and then went past her, I couldn't help but notice more about her. She looked to be in her mid-sixties. Her hair was salt and pepper. There was more. The woman was leaning way to the left. Her head was hanging down as though she were looking at the sidewalk...only not by choice. Her misshapen body made running difficult, but that didn't seem to matter. She ran. She ran and my heart went out to her. What an inspiration.

Each day when it's time for me to head downstairs to walk on the treadmill, I always pout a bit, complain a little bit and drag myself down the stairs. I don't think I'm going to do that anymore.

Poor Little Robin

2010-07-30T18:59:00.006-05:00

I'm on the computer and Irv comes in to tell me there is a fat robin sitting on a wire in the backyard "crying". "She sounds so sad," he said. "Come out and look at her."

So I finished up what I was doing and went out to the deck and sure enough....there on one of the phone wires is this fat robin, making a very sad little "peep" every few seconds. She looked like she was missing some feathers.

Our discussion was based on trying to figure out what was wrong with the poor thing. I stood there talking to her. "Hi sweetie" "It's okay honey".......she just kept up her forlorn little peeping. It sounded so awful. I felt so bad. I thought she might be sick. Her feathers didn't look nice at all. Irv thought she was looking for something. He thought maybe she was young and lost her mom.

I continued trying to comfort her, and then slowly she turned her little head our way, took one look at us.....and flew away into the trees!

Now could she have been everything we thought....sure...but I've decided that she was just an overweight chick with a lousy voice that was having a bad hair day!

Harley's Got Talent

2010-07-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

Tresa texted me Tuesday evening to tell me that Harley learned to open the bathroom door! He stands on his hind legs and pulls the handle down with his front paws. I couldn't stop laughing. This is the cat that they thought was so "dumb". I don't think so.

As if that wasn't funny enough.....get this. Harley was being a bad boy at 2:30 a.m. early Wednesday morning. Tresa and Chris finally got tired of him running around the bedroom, so Chris picked Harley up, put him outside the bedroom and closed the door. Harley tried for about 45 minutes to open the bedroom door the way he does the bathroom door, but it's a much newer handle and he just wasn't strong enough.

Tresa was wide awake by this time and decided to get up to go to the bathroom. She opened the bedroom door and Harley was right there. Tresa headed to the bathroom and get this.....Harley ran ahead of her and opened the bathroom door for her!!! As mad as she was that he had her up at 2:30 in the morning....she couldn't help but laugh when the door swung open!

We are going to be at Tresa's on Saturday...I'll try to get a video of Harley's new "trick" if he cooperates.

Eye See

2010-07-28T05:25:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I hate to spend money if I really don't have to. I need new contacts. My last pair is the pits. I've been wearing them wayyyyyyyy longer than I should be. Do you do that? I know they are meant to be worn a couple of weeks and then tossed, and yes I know you can get nasty eye infections if you wear them too long....but I always have, everyone I know does the same thing and no one....not even one person has ever gotten an eye infection from doing it.

So, my contacts are worn out and I need new ones really bad. The issue is that we are getting vision insurance at work on September 1st. At that time I can get my exam for about $10 and get my contacts for almost free.

If I go to my regular guy now, it's going to cost me $85 for the exam and whatever for the contacts. Do you see where I'm going here? It's just a mere 6 weeks and I could be in nice new contacts for almost nothing.

The flip side is that the glasses I have now are only for distance so I'm not wearing anything during the day at work. I can see my computer just fine, however I seem to be getting an awful lot of headaches that start late morning......I'm thinking it could be related. What do you think?

I have put a great deal of thought into this......and I guess I don't mind having a massive headache every single day and all evening long and into the night when it finally goes away. Hey it's saving me money and hey I'm just kidding! HAHA! I'm calling the eye doctor today for an appointment to get new contacts.

I figure when I have the insurance I will go again and use it to get new glasses. Mine are pretty useless since I really need bifocals and if I'm going to wear them then they also need to be the transitions lenses. Insurance won't cover it all, but a good portion. Then I'll be good for a whole year. I'll be able to see and I won't have a headache every day.

Sometimes I am just so smart that my intelligence even surprises me! :)

Touching Base

2010-07-26T20:11:00.003-05:00

Just checking in...

The garage sale ended up just a little short of my goal. It really wasn't bad since we didn't have any "big" items. It's was all little stuff so I'm happy with how it went. We decided that we are going to do it again in a few weeks and see if we can sell a bit more. I know.....what are we thinking?

Thanks for the feedback on our Vintage idea. Today one of my co-workers said that she and her sister are having a garage sale in a couple of weeks. She said she thought I might be interested since they are selling a lot of their mom's things. Do you think it's a sign? HAHA! I think I might just pay their sale a little visit and see what I can find.

Tresa went to the doctor today and has gained another 6 pounds. I had to laugh...she said she got in the car thinking 6 pounds in a month wasn't bad until she remembered that she just saw the doctor TWO weeks ago this time! Now she is worried about her weight. The doctor didn't say a word. She is seven months and she has gained 24 pounds. I can't wait to see her this weekend!

Well, that's it for now. I hope everyone is well. I'll be catching up with all of your blogs over the next few days! Make tomorrow the best day ever!

Garage/Craft Sale Day Two

2010-07-25T10:25:00.003-05:00

Well, if I'm on the computer blogging then you can safely assume that the sale is really s-l-o-w.....

We had one customer at 9:00 when we opened and not a single one since. It's going to be a long day for sure. The good thing is that the rain has stopped and the sun is shining and a nice breeze is blowing.

Michael and Bernadette are coming over at noon so Bern and I can wrap everything we bought for next weekend's baby shower. It might take a while! :)

Having this sale and not being super busy has given me some time to think about my etsy shop, FourDogDay and that is a good thing. I have been doodling and making lists of things I want to do. Posting some question on Facebook to get a feel for some of the things I'm considering. I am so ready to get going. Get this....I have been trying to get Irv to open a Vintage Shop on etsy. He really loves the old stuff. He really didn't want to, but what we might do is have a small Vintage Section in FourDogDay to get the "feel" of it before we take the plunge and open a shop.

If he really isn't interested then we just let the things expire and no harm done. What do you think? Good idea or bad idea? I say anything is worth a try.

Well, since it's quiet I am going to work on some little blue elephants.....I'll show them to you after the shower...along with the invites, the place cards and all of the gifts. I'll take some pictures today.

Have a wonderful day today and I'll chat with you soon!

Twas the Night Before the Garage/Craft Sale....

2010-07-24T00:08:00.003-05:00

and I'm wide awake! It's midnight and it's storming outside and all I can think about is whether my craft/garage sale signs are going to survive.HAHA! Irv and I put them all up this afternoon. We knew it might rain, so we covered them in plastic. Hope they make it!

I'm really awake because the storm is pretty loud and it woke me up.

We got the garage sale stuff into the garage this afternoon. We set up my craft show tent....and I'm hoping the storms don't get too bad. Sure wouldn't want my tent to blow away! Irv anchored it pretty well, but you just never know. I will set up my craft sale stuff in the morning. It's all priced and ready to go.

Normally on an average weekend, you will see tons of garage sale signs on every corner. Irv and I decided to do this sale sort on a whim this weekend so we didn't run an ad. We figured we would just feed off all of the other sales by putting up lots of signs. Well guess what? There were hardly any other garage sale signs out there! Figures. Just my luck. Hopefully we will still get some shoppers.

Well, the storm is settling down and I really need to get some sleep. My alarm is set for 5:00 a.m. Have a wonderful weekend everyone. I'll let you know how it goes!

So Busy

2010-07-21T20:15:00.003-05:00

Just a quick hello and to let you know I probably won't be checking in again until next week. I decided to have my driveway Craft Sale/Garage Sale this weekend. I am really busy pricing things and making signs and getting things ready. I'm hoping to sell some of the things I'm not making for FourDogDay any more so I have some extra money for new supplies! I have some great things I want to make and I can't wait.

In addition to that, I'm also still working on baby shower things. Tresa is doing well. I will see her on the 31st when we have a "Ripping out the Carpet in the Baby's Room" party. I will take pictures. I can't wait to see her.

I sold a couple more things at the consignment shop last month. Remember the Skull and Roses Fabric Wall Clock? Well that sold, along with another cake stand. It was nice to get a little check in the mail. My goal is to sell four items or more per month. Hopefully the clocks will start to really sell as fall approaches and people start thinking about the inside of their houses.

Well that is it for now. I have more things to price this evening....I'm doing that while watching So You Think You Can Dance. Man I love that show! If you like dancing and haven't watched it....you are missing out!

Have a great rest of the week and a super weekend and I will chat with you soon.

Crash!

2010-07-20T05:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I was making tremendous progress cleaning my workshop the other day. Irv and I switched some dressers and I was transferring some things from a shelf that is high up on the wall, to the dresser.....when all of a sudden...one of the plastic containers came crashing down. I saw it coming and I quickly realized that the one on top of it was coming with it. I made a heroic effort to "catch" them, but failed miserably.

What a mess! One of the containers was full of beads and little jewelry findings and buttons and all kinds of little do dads that were so neatly sorted into all of the little separate bins in the little plastic container.

The other one was my sewing container. That one was filled with buttons, miscellaneous sewing notions and STRAIGHT PINS! When that one hit the table, it hit with such force that when it opened, the pins shot straight up in the air and flew all over the entire room...and I mean all over the entire room....even under the closet door...right into the closet!

I just stood there looking at it all. I wanted to cry, but I tried to laugh...even though it really wasn't very funny. I just kept repeating, "Are you kidding me?" "Are you kidding me?" There might have actually been another word in there between you.....and kidding as well. I don't remember. :)

Sadly no one answered to tell me it was all just a joke and that it really didn't just happen. So, I dragged my feet to the kitchen and got the broom, the dustpan and the little baby broom thing and headed back to see what I could do.

It took the broom, the dust pan and the little baby broom thing, plus the vacuum cleaner to find it all, but at last look I didn't see any stray beads, buttons or pins. To give you an idea how hard the things hit the table....there were straight pins sticking in the seat of my desk chair and in a shirt I had hanging over the back of the chair....not laying on them, but stuck in them.

I cleaned up the mess and decided to call it a day.

Meeting Blog Friends

2010-07-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever met one of your blog friends in person? Well, yesterday I had the opportunity to meet Angela of Pickles On Pizza fame and her husband Aubrey. If you read Angela's blog you will find yourself totally entertained as she talks often about her job at her brother's restaurant, her family and her life in Mississippi.

Angela and Aubrey...it was so bright outside that it was hard not to squint!

Angela also has a couple of etsy shops, Cut n Glue where she sells her wonderful collages and the Ginger's Girl, her fantastic new vintage shop.

Angela and Aubrey (a fireman by day and an awesome musician by night....you can buy his CD from Angela's blog and take my word for it....it's a great CD) are vacationing in Chicago this week. We decided the easiest thing to do was for us to meet them at IKEA Sunday morning. They are only going to be here for a few days and I work during the week. The four of us sat and had some breakfast and chatted a while. Then we took a little walk around the store and it was time for them to get on their way into the big city.....Chicago. I can't wait to hear how they liked it!

Irv and Aubrey were taking pictures at the same time so Angela is looking at Irv and I'm looking at Aubrey.....and I was still talking.....no surprise there.

It was so great to meet the person behind the witty writing and the artistic talent. So, have you ever been lucky enough to meet one of your blog friends?

Silent Sunday.....Enjoying Summer

2010-07-18T05:00:00.000-05:00

Me and My Mug

2010-07-16T15:38:00.008-05:00

I got a text yesterday from Matt, my youngest son that is a teacher out in Telluride, Colorado. He said that his town is considering banning plastic bags. I thought that sounded like a great idea. I guess not for the people that work for the companies that make them, but definitely for our environment. Perhaps they could come up with a bag that breaks down quickly in the landfills....just a thought. Anyway he asked if Irv and I use plastic bags when we shop or if we have reusable bags.

I proudly replied that we bring our own bags to the grocery store. I added that I never think to bring one in though when we go to places like Menards or Target....and we really should.

Then he asked if I use the throw away cups when I get coffee or if I bring my own. Uh............he got me on that one. I never bring my own. I am lazy. I use the drive through and I don't get coffee, I get a latte, and I wasn't sure if they would do that with a specialty drink, and I really only get one now every couple of weeks. In other words I made lots of excuses.

He politely informed me that I probably still threw away 30 cups a year, and that he won't even get coffee "to go" unless he has a mug with him.

Hmmmmmm......guilt.....guilt.....guilt......

So today when I went to get a special Friday treat at Starbucks, I brought my mug.

I parked my car, grabbed my camera to document the event and entered the store. I asked the lady if they were able to put a latte in my mug and she said sure. I asked if I could take a couple of pictures because I had to prove to my son that I did it.

You would have thought I asked her to do something really, really illegal. She quickly put her hand over the Starbucks logo on her apron and said....."This isn't a Starbucks cup". Uh, no it is not.....it's from The Coffee Cowboy in Telluride, Colorado.

"What are you going to do with the pictures?" I had already told her that, but I tried to reassure her......I told her I wouldn't put her apron or her face in the picture, and that I just wanted to show them to my son so I could prove I was using the mug he bought me.

This could have been so much fun. There was no one in the place. I could have posed with my cup and I could have taken pictures of them making my drink and pouring it into my cup.....but nope that wasn't going to happen. The photos you see are the best I could do.

My drink fit just fine and I did not throw a cup into the landfill today.....and I will not throw one in the landfill again. I really am trying to pay attention to how much unnecessary waste I create, but sometimes I just forget.

How many cups do you throw in the landfill each year?

I Graduated!

2010-07-15T19:46:00.003-05:00

"Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out." ---Robert Collier

That quote appears on the back of the t-shirt my Physical Therapist gave me today when I graduated. I am all done with physical therapy. The quote is so appropriate...not only for people in Physical Therapy, but for anything we want to accomplish in our lives.

I am not quite sure how I feel about being done. I really enjoyed going and learning new exercises, but I've learned them all and now it's time for me to go it alone. I started going to Physical Therapy to learn the proper exercises to do for Osteopenia. I learned them and I do them five times a week. I learned how to increase my strength and flexibility without hurting my back.

Now I just need to keep doing what I'm doing and I have every intention of doing that....day in and day out.

! ! ! ! !

2010-07-14T18:46:00.005-05:00

Do you like !!!!!? I happen to love !!!!! If you have been reading my blog for a while, you probably already knew that, didn't you?

For a very long time I didn't realize that I used a lot of !!!!! Then one day I reread one of my blog posts and I saw all of the !!!!! I had used. I started to pay more attention to how often I used !!!!! I found that I used !!!!! in my blogging. I used !!!!! in my e-mails. I used !!!!! in my texts. Holy crap I used a ton of !!!!!.

I started to cut back on my use of !!!!!. It was painful at first. I would be writing and I would catch myself hitting the !, so I would backspace and hit the . instead.

I really am pretty cool and calm, buy when I write something, I want to be sure that people hear me....therefore I use !!!!! because they are louder than .....

I listen to The Mix radio station most of the time now. There is Eric the DJ, his sidekick, Kathy, their traffic girl, Melissa and their news guy, Mark. Not a morning goes by that the four of them don't have me laughing out loud over something they said.

Melissa is pregnant and she just started a baby blog. The other day they were talking about her first blog post when it was revealed that there was a slight problem with her writing. They tried to be really nice, as they told her with a great deal of drama and humor that every sentence in her two paragraph post, except ONE, ended in a ! Then they sat there and explained what her blog would sound like if you read it out loud. You can only imagine how funny it was with them shouting and being overly exuberant in their reading. I almost wet my pants.

Then I realized that's what the people that read my blog, my e-mails and my texts must be thinking, and I started laughing again.

So, I ask that you bear with me as I attempt to return to my pre-!!!!! days. There will be times when I will use !!!!!, but I will try to be sure that it is truly the proper place for a !!!!!. Man this is going to be tough!

Can You See My Smile?

2010-07-13T15:17:00.004-05:00

I went to the doctor today for the follow up on my D & C. First of all, the news was all as good as it can get. The reason the uterus lining looked thick on the Ultra Sound is because I had three polyps. She said they could have been there for years. She removed them and got a good tissue sampling and all of the pathology came back benign. The pictures were so interesting.

When I spoke with the nurse a few weeks ago, she said that the tissue was benign, but she also made it sound as though I still had a thickened uterine wall and that would need to be addressed. Not so. The wall looked thick from the polyps and since I have no symptoms of any kind, I don't need to do anything else. I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I am. I get to keep all of my body parts for a while yet. I come from a family where women don't keep their parts, so for me to still have all of mine is pretty unusual.

I've been worried about this appointment for a few days now. I checked my blood pressure when I got home from work and it was really high. (I have been off of my blood pressure medicine for 5 weeks and I check my pressure a lot.....actually way too much......honestly, I am obsessed with it.) Anyway, I told myself to knock off the worrying crap and I sat quietly and did some nice deep breathing. Then I went and laid on my bed for 15 minutes trying to think about......nothing.

I got to the doctor's office only to find out that she was running late because of a delayed surgery, but I kept calm. When I did get in the room and the nurse took my pressure.....it was.....BELOW NORMAL! How awesome is that?

So my friends...the journey continues. I will keep doing my Physical Therapy, I will keep eating healthy, I will keep walking on that stupid treadmill and I will keep a positive outlook on life.

If you leave a comment today, how about adding something positive that has happened to you in the past day or two? Let's share some good vibes today! If this goes well, I might make it a regular feature.

STOP The Insanity.....Please!

2010-07-12T17:00:00.009-05:00

I almost SCREAMED at the TV a few minutes ago. I was watching the news while walking on my treadmill. The reporter said that some doctors are suggesting cholesterol screenings for children. Right now only kids with a family history of high cholesterol are screened. At first I thought wow that is a fabulous idea. Maybe parents will see what the shitty food they feed their kids is doing to them at such a young age. Then they can change their diets and get them on the right path for a lifetime of good health.

But......OH NO....that isn't the idea at all. They think that children with high cholesterol would benefit from cholesterol lowering DRUGS!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I could feel my heart start pounding and my blood pressure rising. When will this insanity end?

Yes, I am sure there are children that come from families where high cholesterol runs rampant despite healthy eating habits and exercise.....but come on....I would venture to guess....looking at the American diet these days, that most of the children that have high cholesterol DON'T have to have it!

Researchers say treating children with cholesterol lowering drugs might help prevent them from developing heart problems in middle age. So would healthy eating and getting some exercise in a lot of cases!

Thank goodness not all scientists agree. Some say there is not enough evidence cholesterol lowering medication for children is safe or effective....so at least there are still some sane scientists out there! What are they going to do....take Lipitor for their entire lives?

Sorry for the rant, but I feel like the drug companies are running low on adults to drug, so now they are going after our children. I remember seeing some unbelievable number a couple of years ago about how many new drugs are being developed every year that target children.

Now don't yell at me. I know there are a ton of illnesses for adults and children that benefit from medication....I really do get it......HOWEVER.....let's take a good look at what we all eat, drink and breathe and how many hours we spend in front of the TV or on the computer and try to correct that problem before we drug ourselves into oblivion.

End of rant....hope everyone had a super day today. :)

How Was Your Weekend?

2010-07-11T19:58:00.006-05:00

What a great weekend it was! My sister Karen is here visiting from Tennessee and we met up for breakfast yesterday. We were joined by my nephew and his darling kids.

This is Gabriel. He is just a riot. He sat there while we chatted and entertained himself with a straw and a toothpick!

This is Alivia. She's going to be in first grade this fall and she's really excited that she is going to have her own desk at school.

This is my nephew Jason. He's a police officer. I really enjoyed watching him with his kids. He's a great Dad.

Last but not least.....yours truly and my sister Karen. It was so good to see her. We don't see each other often enough and it was great to just sit and chat for a couple of hours.

Besides the nice breakfast, I finished painting our bedroom! It's a small room, but still a lot of work. On Sunday I ran errands and then started to put the room back together again. We decided to switch out dressers and move a book shelf and paint a dresser. I also opted to take sandpaper to a vanity and chair rather than paint it again. The distressed look turned out great.

As soon as I have the room finished, I'll take some pictures to show you. I love the new look. I also started cleaning out my workshop. Right after the showers I will be back to creating things for my etsy shop, FourDogDay. I have some wonderful patterns for aprons and tote bags, and I also want to try my hand at some other ideas....so it should be a busy fall!

Off topic.....I made an appointment to get my hair cut really short on the 18th and I can't wait. This is too much hair for me. Also, I see the doctor Tuesday to see what my treatment options are for my not so happy uterus. I'll let you know what she says.

I hope your weekend was a good one. Have a wonderful day tomorrow and do something nice for yourself and for someone else too!

Controlling High Blood Pressure....Naturally....The Journey

2010-07-09T16:54:00.001-05:00

I asked my doctor how to get off my blood pressure medication. I didn't ask if it was okay. I said I was doing it and wanted to know how. He told me and I followed his instructions. After a month of weaning off the drugs, I finally took my last little piece of a pill a few weeks ago.

My body told me it didn't like what I was doing about three weeks into the month long process. I got worried that it wasn't going to work and maybe I really did need to be on the meds....but I continued.

At first my pressure was all over the place with a lot of high readings and very few normal readings. I was concerned.

Then slowly it started to turn around and I was getting more good readings.....not 120/80....but better than it was. I was encouraged.

Then the news came about my bad Ultra Sound and my pressure went up again. I was frustrated.

I got the benign biopsy results the day before we left on vacation. The first day of vacation, my blood pressure was BELOW normal! I was shocked.

When we got back from vacation, it went right back up again. I was so confused.

I thought that perhaps it was time to throw in the towel and just go back on the drugs.

Then I sat down and really thought about it. It was so obvious to me that my mental state had a lot to do with my pressure. How on earth could I change who I am in order to control my pressure? I thought about how I hustle from place to place....I never just walk. I'm always in a hurry...even when I don't need to be.

I thought about how I am always thinking about "what's next" instead of enjoying "what's now".

I thought about how fast I breathe all of the time. Never ever taking a nice deep breath to calm my mind and soothe my soul.

I thought about how I rarely take time to "smell the roses" even though I mean to.

I thought about my diet...I thought it was okay....what was I not seeing?

I thought about my lack of enthusiasm about my physical therapy program and walking on the treadmill. I was doing it, but I wasn't "into" it.

It was all pretty overwhelming, but what I realized was that even though I thought I was doing everything I could to bring my pressure down....I really wasn't.

Not taking the meds was really, really important to me. If I didn't need them, then I didn't want to take them. So......after reading a lot more about high blood pressure...this is what I did.

I took a good look at my diet. I found lots of hidden salt in many of the foods I was eating. I increased my potassium and my fish oil supplements. I started walking further and faster on my treadmill. I walked like someone with a purpose. When I started to hustle down the hall at work, or to my car in the parking lot or through the grocery store.....I stopped....and I reminded myself to slow down. I wasn't in a race. I posted a note above my computer at home that says "120/80". I drew a smiley face in one corner and a heart in the other. I posted a note on my bulletin board at work that says, "Slow down" and "Breathe". I started doing some deep breathing a number of times a day, especially if I felt my old habits creeping in. I purchased some wonderful herbal hibiscus tea from etsy shop, Tea For All Reasons, because I read that it's good for high blood pressure. I stopped to smell the roses.

Guess what? Slowly my blood pressure came down. I started getting more and more good AND normal readings. I still get a high reading now and then, but most of my readings are very respectable. While my pressure isn't where I want it to be all of the time just yet....I honestly believe I am on the right path. Whether it will continue to improve, I don't know. We will see.

I can't say what one thing is making the difference, or if it is all of the things thrown together. It doesn't matter to me. I thought I knew myself really well, and I found out we never stop learning about ourselves. The more I learn...the healthier I become.

Our bodies and minds are amazing. I think a lot of the time we reach for what we think is the quick and easy solution to a health problem, rather than putting forth the effort to find a natural solution.....and trust me....it's hard work. Sometimes drugs are very necessary, but sometimes it's just a matter of giving our bodies what they need to function the way they are made to function.

My journey continues.....I'll keep you posted.

You Call That A Vacation?

2010-07-08T18:59:00.004-05:00

Irv saw a big travel trailer in a neighbor's driveway this week. He mentioned how great it would be to vacation in one of those....just us and "the girls". He said it would be cheap because we wouldn't need a hotel. We could just go to campsites. Maybe we could go to Minnesota. It also wouldn't cost much for food, because we would be able to cook our own in the travel trailer. We wouldn't have to get anyone to watch the dogs. Wouldn't it be wonderful?

I explained that I LOVE eating at restaurants on vacation. I LOVE staying at hotels on vacation. I LOVE not having to let dogs out when I'm on vacation. I LOVE not worrying about what the dogs might be chewing up when I'm on vacation.

I really don't want to cook, or clean up or walk dogs if I'm on vacation....that wouldn't be a vacation at all. In fact, I would NEED a vacation after that vacation. :)

In all honesty, one of my dreams is to own a travel trailer...not a gigantic one, but a big enough one that I could still drive....and take a couple of months and just drive all over this wonderful country of ours. No real plan....just drive and stop wherever we want to. We could visit places we've never been, and visit our favorite places. We could stop and visit people or not visit people if we don't feel like it. Just drive and sight see. Wouldn't that be just awesome? I might even consider taking the dogs with on that kind of trip.

How about you? What kind of vacation are you dreaming of?

Shop and Paint

2010-07-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

Bernadette and I had such a great time baby shower shopping yesterday. We started out at Starbucks to have a treat and go over the registry to see what we might want to look at. Since Tresa and Chris occasionally read my blog, I can't really tell you what we bought...but let's just say we had a blast! I will take pictures and then after the showers I'll show you.

After shopping I came home and sweet Irv had painted the ceiling in the bedroom for me. That meant I could dig right in on the walls. Have you ever painted a room and immediately hated it? That is how I felt about our bedroom the last time I painted it. I hated everything about it....the colors, the bedspread, the valance, the lamp......ugh....here is what it looked like. A couple of the walls were a deep gold color and a couple were that brick whatever it is color. Man, I must have been in one heck of a funk when I picked those.

The bedspread was a sort of mossy green and it was okay, but I didn't love it. Then I made a valance, a lamp shade and pillows out of this fabric that was just not "me" and I still to this day have no idea what I was thinking!

So, here we go.....the transformation to an awesome light blue that will go with the bedding that Bernadette gave me. She decided she didn't like it for the room she was redoing and gave it to me. It's almost brand new. I think I showed it to you a long time ago, but I think those pictures are on my old hard drive. Once I'm done I'll take some new pictures and show you again.

I didn't have much light when I took these so it's hard to see the blue....it's more of a gray blue than a baby blue. It matches the bedding really well.

I got the first coat on today, and I'll put the next coat on when I get off work half day on Friday. Then I will have the weekend to work on the closet and trim. I am sooooo thrilled with the color. I makes the room look so much bigger than the dark colors. Lovin' it already!

Make it a good one and do something nice for yourself today....and maybe for someone else too!

Baby Shower Shopping

2010-07-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

I am headed out with Bernadette this morning for a little baby shower shopping! Chris's family is having their shower on August 1st and ours is on August 7th. I love baby showers. So much cute stuff.

Bern and I decided to pool our resources and make a trip to Buy Buy Baby today. We will print off Tresa's registry and see what kind of trouble we can get into! Should be fun.

I was in the town next to ours to find a nice tea infuser the other day and saw a big sign that says, "Opening Soon....Buy BuyBaby!" Oh brother am I going to be in trouble when that happens.

Have an awesome day today and be sure to do something nice for yourself. You deserve it!

Family Fun for the Fourth

2010-07-04T07:45:00.017-05:00

We had a wonderful day yesterday, celebrating the holiday with the kids at Michael and Bernadette's lovely home. They just had their patio redone and it is fabulous. We had some great conversation, really delicious food, roasted s'mores in their fantastic fireplace, played that crazy and frustrating game again and watched the fireworks display taking place at the race track....from their front yard. It was just a grand day!

Every time we see Tresa, we take a photo like this to send her brother in Colorado and her Aunts around the country. Three months to go!!

Tresa and Bernadette.....

Michael the Novice Griller....getting tips from Chris the Master Griller.....

Chris with Michael and Bernadette's Aussie....Teagan......

Bernadette relaxing while we wait for dinner......

Even though it was warm and sunny, their patio is completely shaded....so we had a nice little fire going. You have to so you can make s'mores you know.....

The soon to be mommy and daddy.....

Michael.......
Bernadette playing that crazy game.....that the girls won.....AGAIN!

Chris during the game....the guys did come close....but only for a short time.....

Look at the frustration as Irv tries to come up with a clue to get his guys back in the game! It didn't happen.....

The game always makes us laugh......a lot.....

Beautiful flowers from the yard......

Look at the concentration while waiting for Baby Boy to move so Bern can feel him. We all got to feel him moving yesterday. It's just so magical......

Bernadette and Teagan while we waited for the fireworks to starts so we could head back outside. The mosquitoes were a bit on the hungry side.......

Have a wonderful day today and do something really nice for yourself.....

Friday at The Gap

2010-07-02T21:13:00.004-05:00

I get off work early on Fridays during the summer. I have to make up the time by coming in early all week, but it's worth it to get off at noon. Today I headed to the mall to pick up a birthday gift for my beautiful daughter-in-law who celebrates her birthday on the 4th of July! While I was at the mall, I heard my name being called....."Kathy....pssssst....Kathy....come on over here."

I waked around the corner to see where the voice was coming from and there it was....The Gap! HAHA!

I thought I would just go in a take a little peak. I really needed a couple of new t-shirts to wear to work for the rest of the summer. When school is closed, we get to wear whatever we want and my daily choice is jeans, gyms and a t-shirt. Sadly, most of mine are in pretty bad shape.

I headed into the store and almost jumped up and down yelling chee hoo when I saw lots of 40% off signs. I felt like I had hit the jackpot and I didn't even start looking yet! Geez, I love GAP!

I tried on a number of tops. I usually wear a Medium at the Gap....Hmmmmm....this one was too big in a Medium. Tried on the next one in a Medium. Just right. Tried on the next on in a Medium....too small. Hmmmmm. I went out and grabbed a variety of sizes and headed in to try on more. I ended up with 3 smalls, 1 medium and 1 large....what the heck is with that???

Well I had 5 really cute t-shirts in my hand and didn't really want to put any of them back. I looked at the price tags and they had all been marked down a couple of times to what was a pretty darn good price. I decided to just get them all. I really needed them.

I got up to the register and the lady started to ring them up. The price wasn't the price on the ticket....it was 40% off the lowest price on the ticket!!!!! The regular price for the 5 shirts would have been $102. 50 and with the mark downs and the 40% off, they cost me $29.35!

I got 5 Gap t-shirts for $29.35! That is a major....Happy Friday to me!!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Stay safe and have lots of fun....and do something really nice for yourself!

Vacation Odds and Ends

2010-07-01T19:14:00.025-05:00

I thought I would share the rest of our vacation pictures with you.

This is just Irv getting tired of being photographed. :)

This was a little cheesecake shop.....with very good cheesecake!

This is their old state hospital....purchased and being totally renovated as offices and retail. The inside was wonderful and the little shops were great! Isn't it a magnificent building?

I love old log cabins.....

Lake Michigan.....with an awesome little rock tower someone built.

I thought this was kind of cool....

So pretty......

I happen to love black squirrels. We don't have a lot of them here, but we saw a lot of them in Michigan! Isn't he just the cutest little thing?

We had never seen grapevines growing like this before....

Cherry trees......everywhere.......

A very old gas pump in front of a little general store......

It was a long way down......but lots of people chose to walk, or slide down on their butts.....down the 450 foot drop to get to the water from the scenic look out. We chose not to. We would have gotten down....maybe....and never got back up! See those tiny little people way down there?

The view from the look out was wonderful, but the wind was so strong it almost blew you over. The sand hitting your legs really hurt....but it was worth it!

Everywhere you turned there was something beautiful to look at!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Kayaking the Crystal River

2010-06-30T05:00:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful three hour paddle down the Crystal River on vacation last week. The river was so clear that even when it was 4 or 5 feet deep...you could see every little pebble on the bottom.
The beginning of the trip was very narrow and very winding. Irv laughed until he cried as I tried to get my bearings. I would crash into branches on one side, over compensate and crash into branches on the other side. I had to duck under things and put my paddle up to keep myself from smacking into other things while Irv paddled along gracefully behind me laughing his butt off.

It was actually a bit frustrating. Granted, we only kayak once a year, and we are normally on a big straight river where you don't have to worry about crashing into things...but I am pretty good at this and I was having a hell of a time.

Then I realized what the problem was. I just wasn't paying attention to the kayaking, because I was so in awe of the water and my surroundings. Once I reminded myself that I had to paddle and pay attention to the winding river, I was fine.

The website for Crystal River Outfitters didn't say that we were going to have to portage (carry our kayaks across roads) three times during our trip. We really try to avoid that when we kayak because Irv has a very bad hip, and it is very difficult for him to get in and out of the kayak to start and finish...much less three more times....but we managed and still had a wonderful time.

This dam was the reason for the first portage.

Irv just cruisin' along.....

Can you see how clear the water is in this picture? So beautiful. Our rivers here are muddy and pretty dirty for the most part. This was such a treat!

I think the best part of the trip was when Irv went around a bend and I hung back trying to take some pictures. It's hard taking pictures on a river. You want to stop, but the current keeps you moving. Anyway, I had pulled toward the shore to take a picture when I heard a big splash! I looked across to the other side and there was a deer leaping to and fro in the tall grass along the shore. It seems that Irv had pulled his kayak over to shore when he got around the bend, and startled the deer. He never got to see it, but I sure did. It was so awesome!

I had so many dragonflies hitch a ride on my bright yellow kayak. Every time I would try to grab my camera to take a picture, they would fly away. It took a while to get this shot. Most of them were this smaller black and blue variety.

The current zoomed me past this dead stump, but I managed to paddle myself back so I could get this picture. I thought it was so awesome!

At the beginning of our trip, we let this couple pass us. I really didn't want company on my journey and I really like to go slow and look for wildlife...so anyway...we let them pass. Toward the end of the trip we came upon them again. It seems at one of the portages, they attempted to pull out in the wrong spot. The husband tipped and got caught in a small whirlpool near a drainage pipe. He wasn't able to flip his kayak back over needless to say because it was filled with water, so he walked it the rest of the way.

When we met up with them, there were other kayakers and they helped him pull his kayak up onto a pier and tip it to get the water out. I talked to his wife and she said it was pretty scary. She said he seemed okay, but they were going to find a doctor to have him checked out. I felt so bad for them. Irv and I both noticed that when he was walking his kayak over to the pier he seemed very frightened when the water got deep....we are thinking maybe he didn't know how to swim. The river was probably 5 feet at it's deepest, but if you can't swim....even that would be terrifying.

The people at Crystal River Outfitters were just awesome. Such great service! They even had a nice little shop where I bought a darling little t-shirt type dress. They recommended the sandwich shop next door where we had fabulous subs...one of the best I've ever had.

I even bought a couple of stickers in their shop that say, "Life Is Good"....because it sure is!

Sailing on The Tall Ship Manitou

2010-06-29T05:00:00.004-05:00

Our first sailing experience was certainly one to remember. We set out at 3:00 p. m. and returned at 5:00 p.m. The captain was a very pleasant guy and his 2 girl and 2 guy crew of 20 somethings was fabulous. Those kids worked their butts off to show us a great time aboard their ship.

We were allowed to go "below" so we could see what things looked like....the crew actually lives on the ship. I must say that isn't something I could do after seeing their "beds", but what an experience for these young people.

It was a beautiful day and as we were sailing across the bay....I thought about how awesome it would be to just lay on the deck with my eyes closed and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine as the wind and the sails take me to far off lands.

Enjoy the cruise.......

Make it a beautiful day for yourself.......

The Waiting Game Revisited

2010-06-28T05:00:00.001-05:00

Before I start posting awesome vacation pictures this week, I wanted to bring you up to speed on what's been going on with me for this past month. About a month ago I went in for my annual trans-vaginal (internal) ultra sound and my CA125 (tumor marker) blood test. My half sister has ovarian cancer...she has for a number of years now. There isn't a good test yet for early detection of this horrible cancer, so what they have at this time is what I do each and every year.

When I was having my ultra sound, I knew something wasn't right. The tech was taking so much time and seemed to be zoned in on one area. She did different things than I've had done before. I was scared.

So that you don't get freaked out before I finish the story....I do NOT have ovarian cancer.

I waited and waited and waited for the results.

When the results finally came in, the nurse said that the doctor wanted me to make an appointment to come in to talk to her about them. RED FLAG!!! I never have to go in to talk about test results. I told the nurse I would gladly do that, but could she read me what the report says......

To make a long story short, my uterine wall has thickened. It was thicker last year, but no further testing was recommended so we didn't do any. This time it was even thicker and they did recommend further testing. I went in to see the doctor and we scheduled a hysteroscopy (where they look inside your uterus) and a D & C (where they scrape the walls of the uterus). Everything they remove is sent to the lab for biopsy.

I had that done one the 15th. While I was at the hospital, my blood pressure was really high....so high that they gave me meds for it twice. (Not a good thing when I just got weaned off the meds and my pressure hasn't been all that great since going off....but that's another story for a different day).

Irv and I thought about canceling our vacation because the results wouldn't be in until the day before we were suppose to leave. Would I want to find out I had some kind of cancer and then go on vacation the next day? Probably not.....but we decided to wait and see.

The doctor removed three polyps, but said that she saw nothing that concerned her. We just had to wait for the results. Well they came the day before our vacation and everything was benign. It was a good day. :)

I do have to go in and see her in a couple of weeks, because the fact that my uterine wall is too thick is an open invitation for abnormal cell growth and that is a serious concern. I have no idea what the treatment options will be, but my guess is some type of hormones or a hysterectomy....and I could be totally wrong, but that is just my guess.

It's has been a month of waiting and wondering. For the most part I stayed in control....but my mind often wandered and that is never a good thing when you are waiting for test results. All of this is part of the reason that I am not going to blog every day for a while. I am drained...mentally and I just have other things that I want and need to be doing right now. I have a shower to prepare for, walking and physical therapy to do, my etsy shop to tend to and a summer to enjoy.

So, how are you when you are waiting for news? A nervous wreck, cool as a cucumber or somewhere in between? I was somewhere in between...leaning slightly toward the nervous wreck side this time. I was a bit disappointed in myself for that. I am usually very much in control....to a fault in fact. HAHA!

I will be reading blogs, but maybe not writing or commenting as much as usual during this next month as I get ready for the shower and work on fourdogday...but I will be here.

Make it a good one and do something really nice for yourself today.

Silent Sunday....Vacation....Ahhhhhhhh

2010-06-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

Traverse City Here We Come

2010-06-22T21:14:00.006-05:00

Everything is packed.....even a swimsuit! HAHA! I can't tell you the last time I had it on, but you never know. There is a pool at the hotel.....I don't think the lake will be even remotely close to being warm enough for me!

The snacks are all in the fridge waiting to be thrown in the cooler in the morning. The dogs got baths. The dog/house sitters are all set. The camera batteries are all charged up and ready to go. The alarm is set for 4:00 a.m........yes, 4:00 a.m......we want to get through Chicago before everyone else wants to get through Chicago and our reservations are made for a two hour cruise on the Manitou and our 3 hour kayak trip down the Crystal River! Vacation time is here and I am so excited.

The weather is suppose to be nasty tomorrow for the drive, but we really aren't in any hurry and hopefully it won't be crappy all day. The next three days look wonderful!

I told Irv I was leaving the computer home and get this........he said to bring it in case we want to look something up! So, the laptop will be coming with, but I don't anticipate being on it much.

Have a wonderful rest of the week and I will be back soon with pictures and stories to share.

It's Time!!

2010-06-21T17:25:00.005-05:00

I'm making a list and checking it twice......gonna make sure I don't forget anything when we leave on our mini vacation to Traverse City on Wednesday. Irv is running some last minute errands, laundry is just about done, house/dog sitter is lined up and we are counting the hours.

I've been weather watching and right now it looks like a stormy day Wednesday for the drive up, but then a couple days of partial sun and cooler temps which is exactly how I like it.

Tomorrow I will call and make our kayaking reservations and also the ones for our ride on the tall ship. I think there will be enough nice weather for that....and probably the dunes and the scenic drive up the peninsula. I am so excited!

I haven't decided whether the laptop is joining us on our little trip. If you don't hear from me for a number of days.....you will know it decided to stay home!

Have a great rest of the day and I'll chat with you soon!

A Quick Hello

2010-06-19T20:41:00.004-05:00

We got up early this morning only to realize we had no power. We got ready in the dark and headed to the city to meet Tresa and Chris for the Randolph Street Market. It was hotter than all get out, walking around on blacktop in 90 degree heat. We saw lots of awesome stuff, but sadly no reasonably priced china for me.

Tresa is doing well. Only a few months to go and our little boy will be here!

From there we went to a great little Mediterranean Restaurant and had a fantastic lunch. Then it was back to Tresa and Chris's condo for a little bit and then it was time to head to necessary exTRAVagance in Andersonville to drop off the stacked china lamp and the cup and saucer bird feeders and the hanging china plate bird feeders.....that I forgot to take pictures of before we left. :(

We left the shop and turned onto the expressway...joining thousands of other cars on the expressway and very, very slowly made our way home. We ran in the house, fed the dogs, let them out for a little bit, changed clothes and hustled back out the door for a graduation party we had said we would be at. It was nice to see everyone, but we only stayed a couple hours.

Now we are home and thank goodness, the power is back on. We were lost this morning with no blow dryer to do my hair and no coffee for Irv. The funny thing is...we had two lines of really nasty storms yesterday....one in the late afternoon and one in the early evening. The power was fine. It went out at 4:00 this morning when nothing was going on outside.

I am really beat. That sun really does me in. Tomorrow we have to do some grocery shopping, make some lists for vacation and then Michael and Bernadette are coming over for a Father's Day visit. Looking forward to a quiet day.

Hope all is well with you and that you are enjoying your weekend.

I Need A Break

2010-06-17T05:00:00.001-05:00

I stopped into Pickles on Pizza's blog today and there it was.....Angela said what I have been wanting to say......she said, "I am not in the mood to blog!" I totally understand. Have you ever felt that way?

I have so many things going on right now. Blogging the way I like to blog takes a lot of time, and I just don't have the time right now.

I am super busy at work and when I get home, I'm actually tired. I want to sit and chill out, eat dinner and then sit and chill out some more....or work on other things I need to work on.

I am starting to make things for Tresa's baby shower, and it's so much fun...but it also takes time.

I am trying to restock FourDogDay and that is very time consuming. I love making the things, but there is so much more to it than just that.

I had another health scare and I am waiting for biopsy results again. I had to have a D & C and once the results come back...I will write about it. Things look good, but we'll talk about it when I know for sure.

It's summer....I want to help Irv with the yard. In fact, I promised him I would and I never break promises.

We leave on our mini vacation soon and I haven't even thought about what I need or want to take or what we really are going to do when we get there.

Do you see what I mean?

So, if you don't see a post from me every single day...know that I am here. In fact, I'm probably reading all of your blogs...I just might not be commenting as often. I just need a little extra time to get some other things done and to enjoy the summer.

I'll be thinking about you each and every day, and knowing me...it will be a short break. No, I'm not having a melt down, I'm really quite cool and calm.....I just need a break and I am giving myself permission to take one! HAHA!

Office Painting

2010-06-16T05:00:00.002-05:00

They are painting our office next week. That means that we all have to find other places to be and other things to do. I decided to save all of my filing and reorganizing in our Archive room for next week. I have boxes and boxes of files that need to be refiled into the correct boxes on the shelves. It's so much fun.........I'm kidding of course.

I really can't be near where they are painting though. When we paint at home, we open windows and use fans to keep the smell down....at work...because the rooms they paint are so large, the smell is really overwhelming to me.

Last year they were painting downstairs with a really potent kind of paint, the smell came up into our office and I had to leave a couple of days because my lungs felt like they were on fire. This paint won't be like that, but I'm going to stay as far away from it as I can next week.

We are going from beige to a light blue. Should be a big improvement.I'll try to post some before and after pictures. Can't wait until it's done! Do you like to paint? I love it and as soon as I find some free time I am going to paint our bedroom....and then the bathroom.....and then the guest room....and then the kitchen. By then it will be time to start all over with the living room. :)

Waiting for the Weekend

2010-06-15T05:00:00.001-05:00

So how much fun does this look like? Be sure to scroll down the page and read what they have? Tresa and I went to this last October and we had such a great time that we decided to try it again. Irv and I will head down to the city Saturday morning. We'll all go out for breakfast and then head over to the Randolph Street Market.

Last year there was a huge flea market/craft show outside and then all of the antiques and other things inside. It was awesome!

When we were there last year, we visited a booth run by one of Tresa's neighbors. She had all kinds of vintage stuff including tons of china. I hope she is there again this year. She had wonderful things.

Can't wait for Saturday!

Fridge Magnet Mania

2010-06-14T05:00:00.000-05:00

So, did you accomplish anything over the weekend? I did, but not as much as I would have liked. The weather was horrible which made me feel less guilty about not having my part of the yard done yet...although Irv somehow managed to work outside and cut the grass. Guess he's a bit more dedicated than I am.

I did finish up my first batch of little fridge magnets. Such a silly thing to be making....but you know what? I had so darn much fun! I tried to make some that were just plain old funky and I think I accomplished that!

My thought behind them was to once again use up some things I have here...so I bought just the clothespins and the stars and the rest of the stuff I already had. I just started listing them, and they will all end up in FourDogDay within the next week or so.

I hope you had a great weekend and got a lot done and also had some fun! Did you?

Silent Sunday.....Mother's Day Orchid

2010-06-13T05:00:00.000-05:00

Short and Sweet

2010-06-12T05:00:00.001-05:00

My plan for today is to photograph some tote bags I finished a while ago and never listed in FourDogDay. I sold this one yesterday.

While I'm doing that I will try to photograph a couple of things I made for necessary exTRAVagance in Chicago. If I get them done early, I'll try to post again and show you what I've been up to.

Other than that....I intend to clean up my shop and my house. It's suppose to be almost 90 and extremely humid...a perfect day for this girl to stay indoors in the air conditioning!

What's on your weekend agenda?

Chipmunk Update

2010-06-11T05:00:00.000-05:00

When I looked at the bird feeder a while later...the little chipmunk was gone. I figured he must have had his fill and left the way he came...by pushing up the "roof" of the feeder and crawling out.

Nope...that wasn't what happened. The little guy wasn't getting out, so Irv, being the nice guy and true animal lover that he is, and thinking he might not be able to get out, decided to help the little guy out. He didn't want to get attacked, so he used the rake handle to lift up the "roof" of the feeder so the little chipmunk could crawl out.

Instead of crawling out however, the little guy SHOT out of the feeder and flew through the air...like a flying squirrel....all the way to the sidewalk, darted under the fence and down the driveway...and we haven't seen him since.

An Unexpected Dinner Guest

2010-06-10T05:00:00.002-05:00

When I pull into my driveway I get a nice clear view of one of our bird feeders. Normally as soon as I open my car door, the birds fly away.

Yesterday I pulled up and this is what I saw......

I usually keep my camera in my purse so I took it out and quickly tried to get a shot before he jumped back out of the feeder and ran away.....but he didn't run away. He just sat there looking at me. So I kept inching closer.....

He kept his little eyes on me and tried not to move a muscle or twitch a whisker.....

I got up right next to the feeder and kept snapping shots. He just sat there like he was posing for a magazine spread! When I got up right next to the feeder I started to fear that he might jump out right on me...but he didn't.

I took these pictures at 4:10 p.m. and at 4:45 p.m. little Mr. Chipmunk was STILL INSIDE THE BIRD FEEDER! Happy I could provide him with such a fine and filling meal!

The Boring Brown Bag

2010-06-09T05:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all of the suggestions yesterday about what on earth to do with the "thrones". Irv and I are looking at all of the suggestions and I'll let you know what we decide.

When I worked at my last job, we had an hour for lunch. Most of the time I would head for a restaurant and have something to eat. During the summer I would bring my lunch and go park by the lake and eat.

With this job, I only get a half hour for lunch...that means there is no time to go sit at a restaurant to eat. I bring my lunch every day. When the weather is nice, I drive over to the pond in the neighborhood across from the office to eat. In the winter, I sit in the lunchroom.

Bringing a lunch every single day creates a bit of a challenge.....like what the heck do you bring to eat day after day after day?

I bring soup, leftovers and almond butter and jelly sandwiches......and I am getting sooooo tired of it. I am not very creative when it comes to meals and that includes lunch. I eat a lot of salads, but I save those for dinner.

So, my friends....whether you work at home or out of the home....what do eat for lunch every day?

Any Suggestions?

2010-06-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

Irv called me from work on Friday and asked if I would want two chairs. He said someone had made them for a play....they are wood.....they are painted funky colors.

Okay....someone made them. I'm real happy with that. They are wood....that's super because I love wood. Funky colors.....they can always be repainted. No big deal.

I said, "Sure, we'll be able to do something with them."

Then he said, "They look kind of like thrones."

HUH??????

HAHA!! Any suggestions?

Summer In The City

2010-06-07T05:00:00.002-05:00

I had a great day in the city with Tresa on Saturday. I took the 7:08 train in and she picked me up at the station. We had an awesome breakfast at a vegetarian place. I had scrambled eggs with spinach, pesto and sun dried tomatoes, wonderful potatoes and warm fresh baked bread. Oh, was it good!

Next, we went to the condo so I could clean the litter boxes for her. Chris was out of town and you can't clean little boxes when you are pregnant. Here is Harley checking out my water bottle, and Casey lovin' her cat nip.

I had also put new elastic in some maternity jeans for Tresa, since they were getting a little....uh....snug...so she tried them on and I finished them up.

It started raining as we headed out to get our nails done. We had to park about 3 blocks from the shop and under normal circumstances a 3 block walk would be nothing....but in the pouring rain with a pregnant woman in flip flops.....well, let's just say even with an umbrella...we were drenched when we got there. The owner of the shop is awesome and threw our sweatshirts in the dryer while were were getting our manis and pedis!

While we were getting our nails done...the rain also stopped....so that allowed us to enjoy the festival on Division Street. Lots of crafts and food booths and most of the shops had sidewalk sales or in store discounts.

I made one purchase and here it is....

Is this not just the cutest little organic hat ever? I can't wait to see our baby boy in it when he arrives this fall! We saw a lot of darling clothes, but everything in the stores right now is for summer....so we will have to wait a little while. It's okay though, I'm finding plenty of cute little things I can buy now.

I did stop in a beading store and couldn't resist snapping this picture for my bead loving blog friends Lanyard Lady and Chile Cats! Aren't the colors just mesmerizing?

After some Starbucks and bit more walking it was time for me to catch the train back home.

It was a great day! Did you have a nice weekend?

Silent Sunday.....A Mother's Touch

2010-06-06T05:00:00.001-05:00

Off To The Windy City

2010-06-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Weekend!! I am off to Chicago this morning....catching the 7:08 train. Tresa and I are going out for breakfast, then we are having manis and pedis and then if the rain stays away, we are hitting a sidewalk sale in one of the cute city neighborhoods. We will shop until she poops out on me! I'll try to remember to take some pictures.

I think I might have to take a short computer break this week as well. I have been allowing the things I am not making anymore to expire in my etsy shop, FourDogDay....and my shop is starting to look very empty. I have so many things that I want to make, but I just seem to have gotten really busy lately with....the rest of my life. I could probably spend some time in my workshop in the evening...if I leave the computer off.

I have some great little things that I'm going to be working on. I'll show you when I get some done.

Have a really awesome weekend and I'll post some "Day in the City" pictures soon. :)

The Pool Party

2010-06-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

Maggie is a very hairy dog. She get's pretty warm when it's hot outside...so over the weekend, Irv decided to go get a new doggie pool.

He put it out in the yard and Maggie and Wrigley went to check it out.

Once it was filled, Maggie went over to take a closer look.

With just a little coaxing from Irv....

in she went!

She tried to tell Wrigley how wonderful it felt....

by barking and jumping all around....

and getting in again to show her how safe and fun it was.....

she jumped some more.....

but Wrigley just looked at it.....

So Maggie got in and laid down in the (ice cold) lovely water...

she played all by herself and had so much fun!

She even splashed!

Wrigley licked the water off the side of the pool....

Maggie got out and laid in the grass like a frog....all stretched out....

Where was Sparky during the pool party? Sunbathing.....

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2010-06-03T05:00:00.003-05:00

Today is Irv's and my 38th Wedding Anniversary. Holy cow! Where do the years ago? It feels like I just wrote this anniversary post the other day! I reread it and thought...yep, that's about how things still are. Older, wrinklier, more forgetful.....and this time around....we are waiting patiently for September when we will become grandparents.

So, Happy Anniversary Buddy! Thanks for 38 wonderful years! I love you!

Wordless Wednesday....Summer

2010-06-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

I Need A Vacation

2010-06-01T05:00:00.001-05:00

Those of you that have been reading my blog for a while know that I LOVE planning our annual vacation. This year we are only going to take a few days because I want to save some of my vacation in case Tresa needs me after our little grandson arrives in the fall. Not only that...Uncle Sam didn't give us much of our money back this year, and that is what we use for our vacation.

Our vacation is usually a trip out to Colorado, so this year's planning was really different for me. I needed to find somewhere that wasn't too far away, yet offered plenty of things to do. I spent a lot of time online over the weekend and we have decided on Traverse City, Michigan. We've never been there. Traverse City is on Lake Michigan and water is a key element for our vacation if I can't have the mountains.

In Traverse City, we will be able to rent kayaks and paddle down the Crystal River for 2-3 hours. (Photo from crystalriveroutfitters.com)

We can hike around the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. (Photo from nps.gov/slbe)

We can even take a 2 hour cruise on a tall ship. (Photo from tallshipsailing.com)

We hope to do all three of those things! I am pretty excited and I think we found the perfect place for a mini vacation. Are you going on vacation this year?

Playing With The Worms

2010-05-31T05:00:00.002-05:00

I played with the worms on Saturday. I use to love digging in the dirt and playing with the worms....well, I don't really play with the worms...in fact, I try really hard not to hurt them when I'm digging in the garden.

I got a lot done and the front flower beds are looking pretty good. Our village offers free mulch, so Irv decided to go over to the township building on Saturday and load up the truck with free mulch rather than spend money on it at the store. Too bad it was all gone and we ended up having to go buy it any way.

Two of our bushes in front died this winter which is such a shame. We will have to plant new ones this fall. I planted some annuals between the perennials, but I need to go get one more flat for the side of the house and then we should be all set. It's nice when the end is in sight.

Then it's just cutting grass and watering and enjoying. Do you plant a lot of flowers?

Silent Sunday

2010-05-30T05:00:00.001-05:00

Getting off Drugs....the Legal Kind

2010-05-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

I figured this was as good a time as any.....to try getting off of my blood pressure medication. I'm walking daily. I'm eating well. I'm exercising.

A heart specialist threw me on the meds a couple of years ago when I had some fluctuating blood pressure readings and a couple of episodes of atrial fibrillation. It wasn't a huge deal...all of the tests they ran were normal....but they decided I had to be on the meds because one of the side "benefits" of the drug was it's ability to regulate heart rate. So, I very reluctantly gave in.

The heart specialist was the doctor that told me, "This is your last question," when I kept asking how he knew I would have to be on the meds for the rest of my life and his answers weren't working for me. He was rude and arrogant and I left with the prescription and never went back.

Two years later I want to know if I need to be on this stuff or not, and the only way to know that is to get off of it and see what my body does. If my pressure skyrockets or my heart is unhappy, I will go right back on.

I'm doing this under a doctor's care, so don't worry. I had to cut my dose in half for two weeks and then cut it in half again for two weeks. I have one more week of that and then I stop...and see what happens.

I really don't mind being on the meds IF I need them....but like I said...I didn't think I needed them then and I don't think I need them now. Of course, I could be wrong and if I am, I will be a good little girl and start taking them again.

I monitor my pressure daily...sometimes a number of times a day which is really ridiculous, but it is a little scary. I've had some high readings, but that is not uncommon. The problem is when your blood pressure is high for extended periods of time. Mine is not.

Have you ever felt so strongly about something that you just had to do what you felt was right...even when most everyone around you thought you were wrong? That's me right now.

What's Up For The Weekend?

2010-05-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

Well today is Friday....not just any Friday, but it's Friday of a THREE DAY WEEKEND! Chee Hoo!

Tonight is carry out night for us as always. I'm kind of stuck on the little Blue Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad at Outback. I usually get a sweet potato with it...and then it comes with a little loaf of awesome bread. It isn't exactly on my diet, but it is exactly what I need every week!

On Saturday we will head to the grocery store and then hit Menards for some mulch and try to finish the flower beds. Things are really growing and blooming and I don't even have the beds all cleaned out yet!

Sunday might be a family get together day. It sounds like a good day for firing up the grill.

Monday there is a parade and service in town for Memorial Day. If the weather cooperates, maybe we will head there to pay our respects to those who serve. After that...I think we are going to try making some little bird baths and bird feeders out of old china for the consignment shop. Speaking of the consignment shop.....when I chatted with the owner the other day, she said she knew I had sold one cake stand the first week but could remember off hand if I had sold anything else. So, chee hoo for one cake stand!

Have a super day today. Get out and take a nice little walk and then have some fun this weekend! What kind of plans do you have?

Baby Shower Planning

2010-05-27T05:00:00.002-05:00

I am starting to work on Tresa's baby shower....well one of them any way. Chris comes from a very, very large family so his mom will have a shower, we will have a shower and I'm sure Tresa's friends will have a shower. I know I still have lots of time, but I just love doing this stuff and can't wait to get going on it!

I've already started on the invitations and I found a great little bed and breakfast in a neighboring town that I think will be the perfect place for an afternoon shower. We use to have meetings there when I worked at the Chiropractic Office. It's an old Victorian Painted Lady. Here is the link. If you scroll all the way to the bottom and click on "other guest spaces", you can see some of the inside of the house.

I thought this location would be a little different and the owner is wonderful. We would have finger sandwiches, scones, jam and what she calls "dainties"....little desserts, and then of course coffee, tea and lemonade. I'm really excited.

I've been all over the Internet looking at party favors that I could make, cake ideas and other decorations. I love this kind of stuff. Tresa doesn't like games and neither do I, so I don't have to worry about that. I love this little cake from marthastewart.com. Isn't it darling? Not that I would be making it, but I'm sure some wonderful bakery could!

I will share pictures of things I make for the shower as we go. Got any great baby shower stories or ideas you would like to share? I'm all ears!